First in Canada to offer iTunes U
Monday November 27, 2006
Today, Queen's becomes the first Canadian university to launch iTunes U, a web application that offers up a wide range of download-able multimedia files to the university community – and anyone else seeking a taste of the university experience.
Queen’s on iTunes U can be accessed free online at www.queensu.ca/itunesu.
“Queen’s on iTunes U is an amazing foundation from which we can share a seemingly limitless amount of university audio and video content,” says Richard Seres, executive director of Marketing and Communications. “It not only allows us to share news and information across the campus, but also to show off Queen’s to the world.”
The now-portable aspects of life on campus will include audio versions of public lectures, videos of debates, football games, convocation ceremonies and even archival footage of the original live version of the university mascot Boo-Hoo the Bear.
While much of the initial content is being supplied by CFRC (101.9 FM), Tom Dean, an assistant professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, will be the first to make his Operating Systems course lectures and labs available through iTunes U so that students can listen to them at their leisure.
“We’ve had amazing interest and support from several groups on campus including CFRC, Athletics, Archives and a number of academic units,” says Seres. “There are regular updates planned with many of these groups over the next year, but it’s clear there are many other groups out there. We want to hear from the campus and find out what is out there and what else we need to generate.”
American universities like Stanford, Duke and Berkeley have already jumped on the trend, an Apple Computer initiative that leverages the popular iTunes music store to freely distribute university-related content creating a virtual campus out of any computer, PDA or one of the 70 million iPods now hanging off ears around the globe.
Last year, the University re-launched its homepage and top-level navigation as part of a move to enhance web accessibility and was recognized by winning the Gold Medal for “Best Institutional Homepage” from the Canadian Council for the Advancement of Education. More new electronic communications strategies are planned over the next year.
“These innovative methods of delivering content are a key part of our strategy to engage with our many audiences and communities,” says Seres.
A sampling of what’s available at Queen’s on iTunes U:
· 2006 Convocation honorary graduate addresses by Ben Heppner, Bob Rae, Charlotte Gray, Jane Bunnett, Michael Schull, Nel Noddings and William Hutt.
· Regular weekly episodes of “The Best of Our Knowledge,” the weekly National Public Radio program hosted by Queen’s Principal Karen Hitchcock, including a two-part interview with Queen’s professor and Polanyi Award winner Art McDonald.
· Lectures and debates including the 2006 Winter Dunning Trust Lecture by Chief Justice Beverly McLaughlin and the 2006 Homecoming Great Debate.
· 2006 Queen’s Golden Gaels Homecoming football game.
· Historical Queen’s videos chronicling the campus of the past and including a cameo of Queen’s original Boo-Hoo the Bear mascot.
· A newly released Queen’s promotional video as well as videos from the School of Business, International Study Centre, and departments of Film Studies and Drama.
· Episodes of the Canadian Antiques Roadshow filmed at Grant Hall in 2005.
For more information or to arrange an interview contact Sarah Withrow 613-533-3280, sarah.withrow@queensu.ca or Lorinda Peterson 613-533-3234, lorinda.peterson@queensu.ca, Queen’s News and Media Services.
Attention broadcasters: Queen's now has facilities to provide broadcast quality audio and video feeds. For television interviews, we can provide a live, real-time double ender from Kingston.
