University of Maryland Launches Public iTunes U Site

By Tom Ventsias

COLLEGE PARK, Md. - How do forensic scientists use DNA analysis to help solve a crime? Who is that tall man driving a Lamborghini onto center court of the Comcast Center? And how much history remains unearthed on the farm where African-American statesman Frederick Douglass spent his early years?

The next time you visit the iTunes Store to download music, you can find answers to these questions, and much more.

Thanks to a collaborative effort between the University of Maryland and Apple, the academically oriented iTunes U--an area of the iTunes Store featuring free education content--now includes hundreds of digital files that bring the university's message of education, research and outreach to a worldwide audience.

"The site is meant to share the University of Maryland's expertise and collective knowledge on a wide array of subjects, as well as give users a taste of university life," says Linda Martin, executive director for Web and new media strategies at Maryland.

Martin says almost all of the university's 13 colleges and schools have contributed material to the public iTunes U site that launches today (Aug. 11). Files include video of faculty discussing everything from business intelligence to molecular genetics, as well as students working at an archeological dig at the historic Wye House Farm on Maryland's Eastern Shore. The site also features a clip of men's basketball coach Gary Williams revving up the crowd at the annual Midnight Madness celebration by entering the Comcast Center in a sleek sports car.

The public site is an offshoot of the university's academic iTunes U site, which has been in use for the past 12 months and requires a university ID to log on to. Since the Fall 2008 semester, the university's Office of Information Technology, or OIT, has assisted faculty in uploading about 2,100 media files to the academic site, which has seen about 19,000 hits thus far.

"The real benefit is portability," says Ellen Borkowski, director of the academic support unit in OIT. "You are not tied to your laptop and can download important information to your iPod or other handheld device to review or study almost anywhere."

Apple launched iTunes U in the iTunes Store about two years ago, with 16 universities nationwide acting as test beds for the new technology that allows anyone with access to a computer and Apple's iTunes software to download--absolutely free of charge--lectures, lab videos and just about anything else related to higher education.

Hundreds of universities worldwide are now using the technology, and more than 150,000 media files are available on the public iTunes U site. The content varies, with many colleges and universities uploading video tours or lectures from visiting guests, while others, like the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, make all of their course lectures available to the public.

Borkowski foresees a dual mission for the University of Maryland's public iTunes U site: providing educational material to anyone who wants it, and showcasing the university to a broad audience.

"People may not even know about the University of Maryland, but might be searching the iTunes U site on a particular topic--cognitive neuroscience for example--and come across lectures or other material we have on the public site that features our faculty expertise," she says.

Borkowski also sees of the site as a tool to attract potential students or even stimulate research collaborations.

Patricia Shields, an instructor in the Department of Cell Biology and Molecular Genetics, is using iTunes U to engage her students.

One lecture, "Murder in the Micro Building, "has students plotting the untimely demise of a classmate, with Shields then explaining how forensics experts use Polymerase Chain Reaction, or PCR, to multiply a single strand of DNA into multiple strands so that it can be easily analyzed. Shields uses props such as pipe cleaners and small plastic balls to help students understand the science in a step-by-step manner.

"Students are very visually oriented, and seeing how the DNA strands interact is easier to digest than me standing in front of the class giving a lecture," Shields explains. "Plus, this is a lot more fun."

Martin believes much of the material on Maryland's restricted academic site will be available on the public iTunes U site in the near future. It will be up to individual faculty to decide if they want their course lectures and other materials on the public site; many have already expressed an interest in doing so, she says.

"I think everyone here recognizes that this is a tremendous tool for teaching and for showing people what a great university we are," Martin says.

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