In recent years, the number of museums in China has shown a rising trend, but fewer colleges and universities have developed and utilised museums and integrated them into their art courses. Contemporary digital technology has emerged as an essential and vital instrument in art instruction. Adding digital technology to the curriculum can help students understand works of art better, learn more about how artists work, and use virtual reality to fully engage themselves in the stories and histories of museum collections. Simultaneously, virtual museums provide essential resources for promoting cultural and artistic advancement. These priceless assets become accessible to individuals from all over the world and also allow them to share their cultural legacy that transcends time and location.Consequently, in contemporary society, digital technologies and virtual museums have emerged as pivotal platforms for promoting cultural exchange and advancing artistic endeavors. The purpose of this study is to explore how to expand the teaching space and promote the upgrading of educational technology in colleges and universities by enriching the course content of virtual museums and developing and utilizing museum resources. This study focuses on the need for the integration of art curriculum and digital museums in higher education and explores the potential application of virtual museums in higher art teaching. Based on background research and a review of existing literature, this paper examines the limitations of virtual museum education, examines the practical implementation of virtual museums in Chinese higher education institutions, examines how these virtual museums are integrated with virtual museum courses through specific cases, and concludes by summarizing the need for virtual museum integration in higher education art education. The article also compares and analyses the differences between traditional and digital museums with case studies. This study aims to explore how to expand the teaching space and promote the upgrading of educational technology in colleges and universities by enriching the course content of virtual museums and developing and utilising museum resources.