An iPod may be able to extend learning beyond the classroom for UF students if faculty members choose to connect to the Apple's iTunes U service.
Andy Kellenberger, coordinator of educational media for the College of Pharmacy, said the adoption of the iTunes U service would allow UF students and faculty to upload their own media for everyone to see.
The new service is a part of Apple's iTunes store that allows people to download audio and video podcasts and PDF files within the iTunes application, said project coordinator Mark McCallister.
The colleges of Business, Pharmacy, Education, and Agricultural and Life Sciences are helping to test and evaluate the Apple service to determine if the program could be implemented at UF.
Kellenberger said the pharmacy college is using 167 volunteers to evaluate the service.
"The volunteers sign in the system to confirm that they can access the iTunes course page," Kellenberger said. "Then they see if specific files can be downloaded to their computers that will run without problems."
Students can utilize the iTunes U service even if they use a PC or don't own an iPod, Kellenberger said.
Although a similar media host called e-Learning exists at UF, Kellenberger said the iTunes U service will complement the current service. He said it is a very low-cost alternative for institutions to host and deliver media.
"E-Learning is not designed to store large media files for long periods of time," Kellenberger said. "The iTunes U service will help facilitate course communication."
Trace Choulat, director of information and instructional technology for UF's College of Education, said there is no budget set aside for iTunes U.
Therefore, departments are volunteering to work on it. Custom programming is required to give faculty control of their own iTunes U pages and for GatorLink authentication integration.
Once the service is fully integrated into UF's infrastructure and the testing process is finalized, faculty members can choose whether they want to utilize the service in their classes.
