The University of Tokyo to offer new Metaverse courses

The University of Tokyo, also known as Todai, has announced a range of courses that will be conducted in the Metaverse as it embraces the new Web3 era. 

The new courses will be offered to high school students and adult learners in the workforce to instruct them on the importance of the Metaverse. The university will also display positions available in the Metaverse in its Todai metaverse while all course participants will receive official certifications. 

Todai’s project has been launched with the aim to resolve the lack of skilled personnel working on ‘digital transformation’ and ‘advanced technologies.’ According to The Asahi Shimbun, these courses tackle the challenge of overcoming the lack of female representation in the engineering university programs and aim to attract more female students.

University officials also emphasized that studying in the Metaverse will allow ‘anyone, regardless of age, gender, social standing and area of residence, can learn about engineering and information science.’

The new program will educate students on how the Metaverse works and will operate under the Todai Faculty of Engineering and its related graduate schools and will be taught under its faculty of engineering and engineering-related graduate schools, while classes will be held in virtual classrooms. 

Junior-high and high-school students will get an introduction to virtual space, and learn about the potential ways to find work in engineering, science and other related fields. Classes for them will be held in a hybrid of online and face-to-face lessons.

University students and adults already in the workforce will be able to gain opportunities to reskill and upskill through joining online courses focused on artificial intelligence (AI), next-gen communication tech and entrepreneurial education.

‘Thanks to the metaverse, there could be a way for anyone, no matter their age, gender, socioeconomic status, or where they live, to learn about engineering and information science,’ university officials said.

The Metaverse in Japan

Japan appears to be stepping up its Metaverse game as the technology gains traction across countries globally. Several Metaverse-related initiatives have been underway in the country.

For instance, a support group called JACFA in the Fukuoka Prefecture uses the Metaverse to reach out to several hikikomori – people suffering from acute social withdrawal. Rather than organising physical meetups, the group has meetings in virtual support rooms, an environment where the participants are more comfortable with interactions.

Brave Group Inc., a Japanese virtual IP firm, also raised US$ 10 million recently to boost its Metaverse-focused business.

Photo: UTokyo