Apple has announced that educational content downloads from iTunes U have surpassed the 1 billion mark.
The free online catalogue of educational content claims to be the largest in the world and today has reached the 1 billion download milestone.
Featuring content from more than 1,200 universities and colleges and 1,200 schools, iTunes U’s catalogue helps educators create online course that are now accessible from 155 different countries.
“It’s inspiring to see what educators and students of all types are doing with iTunes U,” said Eddy Cue, Senior Vice President of Internet Software and Services at Apple. “With the incredible content offered on iTunes U, students can learn like never before – there are now iTunes U courses with more than 250,000 students enrolled in them, which is a phenomenal shift in the way we teach and learn.”
Within each course, the educator can include lectures, books, quizzes and even set assignments for iOS users across the world. Apple says iTunes U now contains courses set by educators from 30 international countries including South Korea and Brazil, with more than 60 per cent of the content downloads to date coming from outside the US.
The widely available access to iTunes U content means that iOS device owners worldwide can engage with education without having to be on a campus and partake in lectures or other university based coursework. Instead they may pick and choose which courses they find interesting and interact with them as they see fit.
“Because of iTunes U, I have been able to introduce students and colleagues in China to research on the links between chronic multi-tasking, information overload and stress; discuss research publications and degree programs with students in Europe; and exchange information about the influence of neighbourhood design on community levels of physical activity and obesity with students in Australia,” said Professor Dan Stokols, whose Environmental Psychology course at the University of California enrols over 170,000 students on iTunes U.
iTunes U is a free app that is available now from the iOS Apple App Store for devices like the iPad Mini and iPhone 5.
Have you enrolled in any courses provided by iTunes U? What did you think of the selection available through the app? Let us know via the TrustedReviews Facebook and Twitter pages or the comment boxes below.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
