(Yicai Global) Oct. 18 -- Tianjin's Nankai University has launched China's first metaverse school of journalism and communication.

Metaverse-driven teaching methods will allow students to make next-generation progress regarding information and communication technologies in real time to enhance their skills, Liu Yadong, head of the school at Nankai University, said to Chinese media outlets recently. The school will facilitate the extensive use of digital technologies and build itself into the very first metaverse school of journalism and communication in China, Liu added.  

The platform has a digital copy of the main university building, allowing students to walk into the building, attend classes, and interact with each other, including clapping their hands, according to a promotional video.

The school aims to collaborate with other faculties and technology companies to jointly build metaverse labs, create virtual teachers, set up virtual reality classrooms, and host online classes in an immersive digital environment.

Chinese universities are embracing the emerging technology. For instance, the name of an information engineering department at Nanjing University was updated to include “metaverse” in September. This month, a computing department at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University established a major called metaverse technologies. 

Editor: Emmi Laine, Xiao Yi