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In this study we surveyed students in a mid-sized university in Ontario, Canada to explore various aspects associated with their use of computer-based applications. For the purpose of analysis, the computer applications under study were categorized according to the Human-Computer-Human Interaction (HCHI) model of Desjardins (2005) in which interactions between users and digital technology are categorized into four classes of interaction, namely, Technical Interactions (interactions with the digital devices themselves), Social Interactions (interactions with other users through digital devices), Informational Interactions (interactions with information through digital devices), and Computational Interactions (interactions with data processing software through digital devices). The survey attempted to assess the following four aspects of computer application use (in the context of the HCHI model): importance, purpose, frequency, and confidence. In this paper we report on preliminary findings regarding the purpose and importance students attributed to the applications under study. Frequency and confidence studies were reported elsewhere-- Partosoedarso, DiGiuseppe, vanOostveen, & Desjardins (2013). Preliminary findings indicate that, in general, students in this study tended to engage in technical, social, and informational interactions primarily for personal purposes and computational interactions for school purposes. In terms of importance, students ascribed the greatest importance to social interactions, followed by technical, informational, and computational interactions, in that order. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]