Chinese universities are increasingly embracing the metaverse concept, opening virtual reality campuses and funding research positions in this area.

Creating virtual worlds in which students can learn and interact with each other has long been heralded as the next big technological innovation in higher education, and now experts say China is taking steps to lead the charge.

Nankai University in Tianjin has announced the launch of China’s first metaverse school of journalism and communication, with plans to develop “meta-teachers” and virtual reality classrooms. Northwestern University in Shaanxi has opened its first metaverse campuses based on the real-life equivalents.

Nanjing University of Information Science and Technology in Jiangsu has changed the name of its information…