Otago First New Zealand University on iTunes U
June 7th, 2008

The University of Otago has launched Otago on iTunes U, making it the first New Zealand university to deliver free education content through the iTunes Store. The University joins 62 other, primarily US based, education providers in making audio and video content available to iTunes compatible devices.

iTunes U is a dedicated area of the iTunes Store featuring free lectures, lab demonstrations, campus tours, and more. Users can search, download and play content with the same ease-of-use with which they download music, exploring world-class materials from top universities around the globe. University of Otago Director of Information Technology Services Mike Harte says Otago’s inclusion in iTunes U gives the University an international audience for which it can showcase its teaching and research.

“iTunes U provides us with a high-quality ‘front window’ for our offerings and, as people are familiar with iTunes, it allows us to concentrate on delivering the very best content we can, satisfying what we predict will be intense interest from the community - in this case, an audience of millions.

“We already have more than 100 audio and video files available and plan to add more. The clips are of a high standard and include highly-acclaimed wildlife documentaries produced by the Science Communication Master’s students in natural history filmmaking. There are also music clips from both our classical and contemporary rock programmes and the University’s professorial and other public lectures.”

Mr Harte says that having a presence on such a high-profile service makes the University and its educational materials more accessible to the community at large. “People with specific interests will be able to subscribe to areas of Otago on iTunes U. I also suspect it will provide a touchstone for Alumni, and a sneak preview of life at Otago for prospective students.”

You must be logged in to post a comment.