UNC can post lectures and guest speakers on an Apple app called iTunes U, which gives access to free educational content.
However, the existence of the app is not widely known. To ensure that students and faculty get the full benefits of this service, the University should work with student government to enlist people to organize a promotional effort.
Downloads from the app are free, and anyone can use it. Not only is this beneficial for current students, but it also allows non-students a chance to learn about UNC professors and speakers.
However, few faculty members and student groups know about the program and its potential.
The University is working on forming a board of directors to be the outreach for iTunes U. But the directors will be working on their own time. UNC does not have an office for its coordination the way universities such as Stanford University and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor do.
UNC should try to recruit and invest in people, possibly students, who could undertake this role to better utilize iTunes U.
An extensive social media campaign should take place to ensure its promotion throughout campus.
Jason Dunn, senior adviser of student government’s executive branch, says that he believes the University should take more notice of online platforms as the education system begins to adapt to the latest technology.
Online media is changing the classroom from a place to gather information to a place to engage with professors and course information.
