We’ve been busy this past month setting up our iTunes University site on the iTunes Music Store, and it’s been a lot of work. So far, we have 10 faculty with active courses, and most of them are already podcasting and or at least learning the necessary steps. With all this work, it’s been tough to keep up with blog posts!
What I can say at this point is that things are really coming along, and the work-study students in our office and the other students I speak to around campus are really excited about the idea. What they say is that getting a podcast of the class would first be really helpful for when they miss classes. Many of them would review the lectures after class in front of the computer to take better notes than they could in class (the ability to pause and rewind the lecture was a feature they liked). They would also listen to lectures as reviews before tests, to study, and would prefer targeted, rehearsed podcasts for test reviews rather than having to go through all the lectures to find the materials they need. (This is something many faculty are trying to do at the end of a unit). The consensus was that they would listen to the podcasts on the computer if they were taking notes, but would put it on their iPods for review while commuting, walking around campus, or being on the go.
One student in our office, Juan, explained his awful predicament in getting notes from a missed class 2 weeks ago.
- He had to find an email for someone in the class. (Day 1)
- She finally emailed him back. (Day 2)
- She agreed to meet him outside of one of her classes the next day when it was over so they could go to the photo-copier and Juan could get the notes.
- Juan came to campus and arrived at the class on Day 3 to find it empty… the professor must have canceled or let the students out early.
- I spoke to Juan on Day 4 and he still was desperately trying to get notes for that 1 missed day.
How much easier would it be if our students wrote their notes on their laptops? Then they could be emailed. Even so, podcasts of lectures and the ability to write your own notes are better alternatives than trying to interpret someone else’s and missing the lecture entirely. I am excited about the implications of iTunes U here at Suffolk for teaching and learning and can’t wait to see how this flourishes. Working with faculty has been great and we hope to get more pilot testers to support this semester.
I’ll be following up with updates on iTunes U, as well as a post on laptops in the classrooms. (Most of our students have them, so why don’t they bring them?)
I can also have a psychology dissertation as that was what there are many in need will like to know as well. The caption was interlinked with iTunes University, so you can see it and work on it for the rest of the community that requires some help.