Can Virtual Teachers Respond to Real Emotion?

Carl Jung, a German psychologist and philosopher, wrote of the teaching profession “One looks back with appreciation to the brilliant teachers, but with gratitude to those who touched our human feelings.  The curriculum is so much necessary raw material, but warmth is the vital element for the growing plant and for the soul of the child.”

New technologies open up wide worlds of knowledge and make it possible to teach in ever more innovative ways, but can they ever replace the empathy and support that comes from working with a truly brilliant teacher?

Emotion-sensitive tutoring software, developed by researchers at the University of Massachusetts Amherst and Arizona State University in Tempe are attempting to create virtual tutors that recognize and respond to students’ emotions. Early results regarding the amount that students learn when using emotion-sensitive software are still unclear, but a recent Ed Week article reports that some students show more interest in the material when computer programs respond to their emotional state.

While emotion-sensitive software is still relatively cumbersome, involving bulky sensors attached to students’ wrists, embedded in chair cushions, and hidden in the computer mouse to detect physical stimuli, as well as video cameras embedded on the computer to catch facial expressions, it will likely get both more affordable and easier to use over the next 5 to 10 years.

While programmable virtual teachers are certainly no replacement for their flesh and blood counterparts, I’m interested to hear what you think about the potential for computers to respond on an emotional level? Would you want words of encouragement from your laptop when you’re having a bad day? Should your netbook be capable of commiserating when you’re stressed out? Or is this getting a little too close to a classroom version of 2001: A Space Odyssey?

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