iTunes U Timeline

date	milestone
2004
August	Lecture Video recordings requested by first year dental students
September	Content from the Microbiology course is captured to video, audio, and powerpoint synced with audio
October	Students are surveyed about their use of their use of recorded lectures. Results: Audio is the preferred media type (66%). 1/3 of students download lecture content.
November	Two more courses are recorded with only audio. Different audio recording methods are tried Results:A Computer connected to the main sound system is the best method in lecture halls
2005
January	A lecture series is added to the course recordings (15 hours/week). To cope with the increased recording time, an automated system is developed using Apple's AppleScript technology. A custom website is developed to allow for easier navigation of lecture content
March	School of Dentistry beings talks with Apple about using their iTunes U service to host lecture and other academic content.
April	Students are surveyed again. Results:66% of students have downloaded lecture material. 1/2 of use RSS to obtain lectures.
July	The automated Applescript-based recording is converted to an Automator Workflow
August	Apple donates three eMacs for recording and three Mac Minis for audio processing
September	School of Dentistry begins using iTunes U school-wide

What is iTunes U

iTunes U at the University of Michigan School of Dentistry represents a year-long exploration into solving a learning problem: how to help students cope with the intense amount of medical information presented to them.

What started as a student request to video tape lectures turned into a research project exploring student media use, recording and processing procedures, and downloading trends. The overwhelming majority of students said they preferred listening to audio recordings of classroom lectures using their iPods or other portable listening devices. Students report that portable devices gave them maximum flexibility and allow them to listen to lectures at their convenience and regardless of location.

Automated from Start to Finish

With two Dental Classes and 20 courses keeping track of what gets recorded when could be a major task. We've put the ability in the hands of the people who care the most: students.

Students choose what to record, Apple's Automator takes care of the rest. Files are recorded, processed, and posted within 10 minutes of the lectures end.

It's just as easy to listen: students subscribe to a course and new lectures are automatically added to iTunes on their computer (and iPod). No hassle, no wait.

Share and Share Alike

Schools looking to implement a similar system don't need to reinvent the wheel. All of our actions, scripts, and workflows are free to download and use. Schools and Universities interested in working with apple should visit Apple's iTunes U site

How It Works

A recording machine captures all the audio from the main A/V system - microphones, computers, and video projectors. Students decide when to start and end recording and provide useful information about the recording (lecture title, lecturer, and course name).

The recording is moved to a processing machine and converted to AAC audio format which provides students with superior sound at small file sizes (a typical lecture is 20MB/hour). The AAC file is moved to Apple's iTunes U server and available for download less than ten minutes after the end of the lecture.

Download an example