This might be interesting if it pans out. But the question becomes, "To what degree do students attach emotional intelligence to these characters?" Do they actually believe that the tutor knows how they feel?

Some have argued that emotional intelligence is the sine qua non for teaching; I think it is important, but probably more so for certain types of teachers than others. Some teachers use emotion to engage and encourage their students, others attempt to take emotion out of their teaching. Who's to say that one approach is better than another? No really, does anyone have any data on this?