Effective Practice: iPods + iTunes + Faculty = iTunes U at Fairfield
University
Submitting Institution:
Fairfield University
Date Submitted:
11/3/2006
Subject Terms:
Campus or Subscription Music Services , Instructional Technologies , Multimedia , Podcasting , Teaching and Learning
Background/Challenge:
Fairfield University has helped faculty incorporate audio and video technology into their curricula to make their content
available to students in a digital format. Teaming up with Apple Computer to use iTunes University has simplified the
digitizing process for faculty and enabled completely portable content for the students.
With the recent exponential growth of iPods and podcasting among the college-age population, technology-savvy
professors have sought to exploit this phenomenon in their classrooms. Since a large percentage of current undergraduates
have already embraced the iPod and podcasting (i.e., they own iPods and use iTunes software outside of classes), it
seems logical to try to leverage this trend in the academic arena. The question is, how? With all the different hardware and
software available that utilizes the iPod and produces podcasts, what is the best way to create digital content from a
curriculum so that it can be easily delivered to students and made portable? The answer: iTunes U as implemented at
Fairfield University.
Historical Background
Just a few years ago, Fairfield's classrooms were not fitted with technology to accommodate digital needs. Professors relied
on DVDs or VHS tapes, CDs, or overheads during their classes. As a result, students could not take the content beyond the
walls of the classroom. Savvy professors used streaming video to provide content, but this required a student to be on a
computer with a broadband network connection. Beginning in 2004, the university initiated a multiyear project to redesign
selected classrooms to incorporate new teaching technologies and accommodate the needs of the more technically
oriented professors.