There’s a simple reason why computers have not taken over teachers’ jobs: They’re boring, unpersuasive, unattractive and soulless.

That may soon change if Amy Baylor can perfect the virtual professors she’s working on. Baylor, a professor of instructional systems at Florida State University, is focusing on friendly facial expressions, soothing hand gestures, and a “coolly intelligent voice” to create characters that are “both disarmingly lifelike and surprisingly persuasive.”

The “pedagogical agents” will adapt to a student’s skill level in a given subject and provide feedback, both cognitive and emotional.