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iTunes U

Overview

iTunes U is an Apple service that enables Pitt faculty and staff to place free educational media online. Learning doesn't stop once you leave the classroom or shut down your desktop computer. Laptops, smart phones, and mobile devices make it possible to access a wealth of online educational content while you're on the go. iTunes U makes that educational content easy to find and easy to use on any computer or mobile device that supports iTunes.  For example, you can use iTunes U to distribute a video of your classroom lecture, a speech from a visiting colleague, a profile of a researcher from your department, an audio interview with another expert from your field, PDFs of your course materials, and much more.

Computing Services and Systems Development provides centralized management of the University's iTunes U site and is responsible for creating all new iTunes U course pages and uploading content. All content posted to iTunes U will be visible to the world on the University's public iTunes U page. Viewing the site requires that the iTunes application be downloaded and installed on your computer.

Launch iTunes U

To view audio and video files on iTunes U, you'll need a Web browser, an Internet connection, and the iTunes application. If you do not have iTunes installed, you can download it from http://www.apple.com/itunes/download/. Any files you download from iTunes U are for your personal use only and may not be reproduced, re-recorded or shared with others.

View Content

Content on iTunes U can be viewed by anyone and is available in the iTunes U Store.

iTunes U Guidelines

General Guidelines

Procedural Guidelines
  1. Pitt participation in iTunes U is first and foremost based on the need to share, internally and externally, academic content and therefore, the nature of the use will be primarily that provided by academic faculty and/or units, though there may be instances in which Pitt schools and academic programs use iTunes U for promotional and marketing purposes.
  2. Management of Pitt content within iTunes U will be the responsibility of CSSD.
  3. Space within the Pitt iTunes U site for public relations type material should be limited.
  4. All material placed into iTunes by Pitt must conform to copyright and privacy laws.
  5. The design of the front page of Pitt iTunes U will be developed by University Marketing Communications (UMC) and the Council of Deans Working Group to achieve a design that meets legitimate concerns of UMC and the Council of Deans' branding guidelines.
  1. Each Dean or Director must designate one or two individuals as Content Administrators to review materials from that academic area before they are posted. All content to be posted to iTunes U from a school or unit must be reviewed by the designated Content Administrators prior to sending to CSSD to be posted.
  2. Content that will be publicly available must also be reviewed and approved by the Dean/Director/Campus President.
  3. The Office of General Counsel will provide training and a checklist for Content Administrators. Training will cover topics such as determining when a release form is necessary, what content can be included in a posted video, and Intellectual Property law. A checklist will also be provided to insure compliance.
  4. Any faculty or staff member can contribute content. As stated above, this content must be reviewed prior to posting.
  5. Content posted should have an anticipated retirement date.
  6. Release forms must be provided for all outside speakers, faculty authorizing publication of materials such as course content, and for any students involved in videos.

iTunes U Support and Training

Creating Albums and Posting Content

Computing Services and Systems Development (CSSD) supports the iTunes U technology. We work with Content Administrators to create pages and Albums. CSSD is the sole unit responsible for posting content to iTunes U. We provide training for creating Albums and posting content to Content Administrators. Questions about using iTunes U or requests for support regarding iTunes U technology should be directed to the Technology Help Desk.

iTunes U Content Administrators at Pitt

To designate a new Content Administrator please refer to the  Content Administrator Designation form which  must  be completed by the Dean or Director and the Content Administrator. Content Administrators are designated by their Dean or Director to manage the iTunes U presence for their schools. For more information on the individual responsible for your area, please contact the Technology Help Desk.

Related Help Sheets