In keeping with Steve Jobs’ vision of transforming education, Apple has expanded its iTunes U so that professors can offer entire courses, not just lectures. So far, though, colleges and universities are not rushing to drop the platforms they use for online learning and adopt the new application from the technology heavyweight.
Apple bills the expanded iTunes U as “an entire course in one app,” with the capacity to accommodate lectures, assignments, books, quizzes and syllabuses. Although the application is free, the courses can be accessed only on an iPad, iPhone or iPod touch, which are Apple products whose prices may be unaffordable for college students with limited financial resources.
Created in 2007, iTunes U is touted by Apple as “the world’s largest catalog of free educational content,” including lectures by professors at Harvard and Stanford universities, for example. The lectures and other content have been downloaded 700 million times, according to the company.
“The all-new iTunes U app enables students anywhere to tap into entire courses from the world’s most prestigious universities,” says Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Internet software and services.
The expansion was announced in January to allow professors time to gather and put together material for courses starting in the fall. Six schools have placed a total of about 100 courses on iTunes U: Yale, Stanford and Duke universities; Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Open University of the United Kingdom; and Harrisburg Area Community College. It is unclear how many other schools are moving to take advantage of the new app, which faces challenges in gaining wide acceptance.
“It’s competing with some of the traditional learning management systems that have been around a number of years,” says Dr. John Flores, executive director of the United States Distance Learning Association, who has yet to detect major movement to iTunes U. “It’s almost like changing bags or changing doctors or changing barbers. You get comfortable. You want to go to the same resource. The same happens with using a technology.”
Dr. Bruce Chaloux, executive director and CEO of the Sloan Consortium for online education at Babson College, says the initial reaction has been mixed.
