Issue date: 2/26/07 Section: News

Daniel Bates - THE BATTALION Sophomore applied mathematics major Cara Montgomery studies statistics Wednesday afternoon in Studio 12 while listening to her iPod.

Instead of going to the annex after hours or putting low-quality streaming videos online, students could download class material and lectures directly from their iPods or computers through iTunes U, said Ryan Gosewehr, a senior communication major.

Texas A&M was the first public university in the state to introduce iTunes U, a free hosted program that gives students access to educational content through to use of the iTunes store, in October 2006, said Diane McDonald, associate director for marketing and communications.

"We are using it to deliver podcasts and content from their digital archives to students and prospective students," McDonald said. "It's a great tool for reaching students that enables them to have course material and other information on the go for the mobile community."

The University is still getting started with this program and is encouraging professors to post their lectures and course material as podcasts on iTunes U, McDonald said.

"I think the general problem with technology in education is the adoption rate," Gosewehr said.

Most classrooms on campus are equipped with smartboard sympodiums, but many professors do not use them, Gosewehr said.

"We have this wonderful, amazing technology just kind of sitting around not being used because professors don't know how (to use it) or they're too set in their current teaching ways," Gosewehr said.

Samantha Johnson, a freshman history major, said she wishes there was a way to convert her class lectures into a podcast for her iPod.

"We already study on the bus and while walking to classes," she said. "If (podcasting) was available (for my classes), that would be awesome and convenient."

In a survey at Duke University, who is encouraging iPod use by students, 75 percent of freshman said they used iPods for their academic work. Professors also reported that students seemed more engaged in classes when they could use their iPods.

Listening to lectures or audiobooks on an iPod is a vast improvement of conventional reading because it adds a higher level of interactivity, Gosewehr said. However, it probably is not a good substitute for an actual professor and classroom, he said.

"The technology is a good idea, but I don't have an iPod and wouldn't want to pay that much money just to have 24-hour access to lectures and notes," said Jennifer Legan, freshman English major.

A&M's Instructional Technology Services offers workshops and personal consultations to show professors how to convert their lectures into podcasts. Currently, access to iTunes U is public and students cannot post material online themselves.

The University encourages teachers to use iTunes U as an aide in their classes by making their lectures available by podcast, McDonald said.

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