This paper reports on a practitioner study of a first-year undergraduate service course that aligns a web-based, student-lecturer communication system with the mathematical curriculum. The report presents and analyses data from students' and from the lecturer and outlines the nature of the technical interface. The paper indicates how communication of the students affective learning needs had a positive influence on the professional development of the lecturer himself. Furthermore, it is claimed that the success of mathematics/statistics teaching that integrates emotional responses from learners is intimately related to the knowledge, skills, beliefs and values of the lecturer.