MaSSSoftech

Recently, the University became part of iTunes U, a program used to provide educational and informational content that is usually limited to students, joining more than 200 colleges and universities in the iTunes U program.


Ivon Foster, assistant to the provost for special projects, said in an e-mailed statement, “iTunes U is the educational side of the iTunes Store, which provides a way for academic entities, such as universities, museums and libraries, to share educational content at no cost to the public and or to its members.”


He said UA officials decided to get on board with iTunes earlier this year to promote success within the University. Foster said it would help to “showcase the talent within the University.”


“This program is meant to expand the knowledge of the University within the community, therefore the information is available to everyone at no cost,” Foster said. “This is one of Apple's policies. In fact, Apple hosts UA's content at no cost to the University.”


Rachel Shuttleworth, lead coordinator for iTunes U at the UA’s Office of Information Technology, said the information is available in either video or audio format and can occasionally be downloaded in a PDF format. The content may be viewed through iTunes or downloaded to the student’s computers.


The information on iTunes U is mostly outside classroom information. If instructors want their information on the iTunes U site, they must apply for it through a campus liaison.


“We are in the first phase of iTunes U at The University of Alabama: the public phase,” Foster said.


Now, the main concern is the general interest of the public, Foster said. The future of iTunes U will be carefully coordinated along with campus stakeholders.


In this initial phase of the iTunes U program, students are encouraged not to post things on iTunes U unless they have contacted a campus liaison. According to Foster, “all requests to post content are reviewed by the appropriate campus liaison and the iTunes U team.” Since all information on the site is available to the public and supported by the University, it is essential that UA keeps a close eye on the content being uploaded to iTunes U.


As far as using iTunes as a method of teaching, Shuttleworth commented that many professors are working hard to incorporate different programs in their teaching, including iTunes U.


“It is always exciting to see how technology tools like iTunes and podcasting are used in the classes,” Shuttleworth said.


Shuttleworth said giving students a new way to access knowledge is one part of the increasing amount of technology available to them.


“The University of Alabama on iTunes U is not intended to replace any of UA's instructional technology tools, such as eLearning,” Shuttleworth said.


In addition, Shuttleworth said the main goal of iTunes U is to share information obtained by the University of Alabama with as many people as possible within the school and the community.


Students who wish to access this information need to download the free iTunes application at apple.com/itunes/download.