The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) announced to host the launch party of a virtual reality classroom over the Metaverse on September 1. The launch marks the commencement of HKUST’s plan to promote immersive learning by building a virtual campus in the Metaverse, to be called MetaHKUST.

An academic from the HKUST institution told South China Morning Post that the launch of the mixed reality classroom represents the opening of a new campus in the city of Guangzhou, Hong Kong. Pan Hui, chair professor of computational media and arts at the Guangzhou campus, added that:

By building MetaHKUST, the institution plans to create a learning environment that virtually connects the two campuses — in Hong Kong and Guangzhou. By virtually connecting the campuses, HKUST hopes to help students overcome geographical constraints when attending classes.

While universities across the globe moved over to services such as Zoom for conducting online classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, Hui believes learning in the Metaverse to be a better option for students as it promotes a greater level of interaction, adding:

Despite the nascency of the technology, Wang Yang, VP for institutional advancement at HKUST, said the metaverse was “here to stay.”

Related: Marriages and court cases can be held in the Metaverse

Adding to the long list of use cases the Metaverse has to offer, Singapore’s Second Minister for Law Edwin Tong opined on using the budding technology in legal marriage proceedings, court case disputes and government services.

Tong supported his statement by highlighting instances when intimate events such as the solemnization of marriages were being held at the Metaverse, adding:

Tong stated that the addition of such