On
May 10, 2004, Lya Visser, LDI's Director of Training,
delivered a keynote address with the above title as part of the
colloquium/workshop on "Le téléapprentissage
et la société des savoirs : des acteurs, des besoins,
des outils" (Distance learning and the knowledge society:
actors, needs, tools), which took place in the framework of the
72nd Congress of the Association francophone pour le savoir
(ACFAS), held in Montréal, Québec, Canada from
10 to 14 May 2004. The keynote was based on Dr. Visser's research
on motivational communication for learner support in a distance
education context. Her paper focused particularly on how a simple
rationale can help distance educators care for the emotional
needs of learners.
An overview of what the address was about can be gleaned from the linked PowerPoint slides in English that accompanied Dr. Visser's presentation. Those less familiar with the English language may rather want to explore the same set of slides in French.