The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) has announced that it will host the Metaverse Virtual Reality Classroom Launch Party on September 1. The launch marks the beginning of HKUST’s plan to promote immersive learning by building a virtual campus in the metaversewhich will be called MetaHKUST.
An academic from HKUST institution Told South China Morning Post that the launch of the mixed reality classroom represents the opening of a new campus in Guangzhou City, Hong Kong. Pan Hui, professor of media and computer arts at the Guangzhou campus, added that:
“Many guests may be overseas and unable to attend [the opening]so we’re going to host it in the metaverse.
By building MetaHKUST, the institution plans to create a learning environment that virtually connects the two campuses – in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. By connecting campuses virtually, HKUST hopes to help students overcome geographic constraints when attending classes.
As universities around the world have turned to services like Zoom to deliver classes online during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hui believes learning in the metaverse is a better option for students because it promotes a greater level of interaction, adding:
“Thanks to virtual reality, you can feel as if you were there. The way you interact with the students around you will increase your learning outcomes. »
Despite the technology’s debut, Wang Yang, vice president of institutional advancement at HKUST, said the metaverse is “here to stay.”
Related: Weddings and court cases can take place in the metaverse
Adding to the long list of use cases the metaverse has to offer, Singapore’s second justice minister, Edwin Tong, has issued an opinion on the use of the nascent technology in legal marriage proceedings, litigation judiciary and government services.
Tong backed up his statement by highlighting instances where intimate events such as the solemnization of marriages took place at the metaverse, adding:
“It would not be unthinkable that in addition to marriage registration, other government services would soon be accessible online through the metaverse.”
Tong said adding such technology would not prevent traditional offline hearings from taking place and instead suggested an “integrated platform” that could energize the dispute resolution process. He noted that “there can always be a hybrid element.”