Presentation given by Graham McElearney on Sheffield University in iTunes U - Introduction and Future directions

1. Sheffield on iTunes U - Introduction
and future directions
Dr Graham McElearney - Sheffield on iTunes U manager
Stephen Thompson - Digital Manager, Andrew Twist - Digital
Content Producer
Professor Mark Winter - Academic Lead

2. Programme for today
• What is iTunes U?
• Sheffield on iTunes U
• Examples of educational materials
• Review
• Future directions

3. iTunes U
• Part of the iTunes Store
• Universities make audio-visual materials available for
free
• Accessed via iTunes software on PCs, Macs
• Mobile access on iPhones and iPads using the iTunes U
app
• Android users access using TuneSpace (free from Play)

4. Why are we doing it?
• A responsibility to share knowledge with the
world
• To raise the international profiles of
individuals, their discipline, department and
the University

5. International

6. Russell Group
Sheffield

7. Russell Group
Sheffield

8. • 19 million downloads from iTunes U
• 4,200 podcast items processed
• 3,480 Oxford’s academic speakers global and contributors
reach
• Downloads from 185 countries
• Inclusion in Apple’s global marketing
• Click through links to university departments
• 50% of material has a CC license million downloads from
iTunes U
• 4,200 podcast items processed
• 3,480 academic speakers and contributors
• Downloads from 185 countries
• Inclusion in Apple’s global marketing

9. iTunes U and YouTube
• Both offer video and audio content for free
• Both are channels - don’t have to be mutually exclusive
• iTunes U - not blocked in China
• iTunes U - downloadable content - content available offline
• iTunes U - content can be structured as a “course”
• YouTube can have distractions

10. iTunes U and MOOCs
• MOOCs:
•Typically weekly structure of content
•Often provide assessment activities such as quizzes, blog
postings
•Encourage interaction between other students
•Offer certification for completion

11. iTunes U and MOOCs
• iTunes U:
•Content grouped as collections or “courses”
•No timetable
•No formal support or assessment
•No certificates or credit

12. Meaning of iTunes U to
TUoS
• A vision:
• To take the fantastic diversity of excellence
that is the University of Sheffield, and distil,
distribute and celebrate it in digital form

13. What else should be here?
What shouldn’t be here?

14. • LearninEg axncde telalechnincge in......
• Research
• Public engagement
• Outreach
• Supporting the student experience
• Student generated materials

15. A demo.....
• Materials organised into collections
• Audio, video, screencasts
• PDFs and eBooks can also be added
• Collections have “cover art”
• Metadata - title, description, keywords

16. Examples......
Learning and teaching
Screencast tutorials....

17. Examples......
Learning and teaching
Talking head - voice of expert or discussion....

18. Examples......
Learning and teaching
Instructional video.....

19. Examples......
Learning and teaching
Audio....

20. Excellence in
Supporting the
student experience
Video Interviews

21. Research
Excellence in
Video produced by external agency

22. Excellence in
Public engagement
Audio recordings

23. Examples......
Student projects

24. What sort of content?
• But must be legal
• No copyright infringing material
• Contributors need to consent

25. Who is the audience?
Thomas Pleil CC BY NC 2.0

26. Activity
• In pairs:
• Think of an idea from your own work to contribute
• Identify which category (learning and teaching, research,
public engagement, outreach, student experience, student generated)
• Identify type of content (e.g. instructional video, audio
interview)
• What sort of support would you need?

27. What sort of content?
• Lecture recordings - timetabled or special events
• Specialist interviews or discussions with colleagues
• Instructional videos
• Screencast tutorials
• To provide learning resources on location e.g. field work
• Answers to Frequently Asked Questions
• Student generated
• Limited only by imagination.......

28. Review of the current site
content
• Over 500 individual items
• 75 collections
• All Sheffield based Faculties
• Professional Services

29. Review of the current site content -
access
• 7,992 Streams
• 12,333 downloads
• 10,322 visitors
• 2,622 subscriptions

30. Review of the current site content -
access by country
80% Traffic from
outside of UK

31. Review of the current site content -
access across time

32. Review of the current site content -
popular items

33. SiTU - Future directions
• Academic lead - Professor Mark Winter
• Dy to day management - Corporate Affairs Digital Team
• Content production and technical advice - Creative Media Team in
CiCS and Corporate Affairs Digital Team

34. Available Support
•Creative Media Team
•Equipment loan
•Editing facilities
•Support and advice
•Direct support for production
•Training and support for your students
•Freely available software for audio and video editing

35. Web-based support
• SiTU support site at www.sheffield.ac.uk/itunesu
•Information for contributors
•Gallery of examples
•Request support
•Consent form and explanation
•Technical information
•Other useful downloads - branding files and Adobe encoding presets

36. Telling the academic story.....
• Shift emphasis away from a specific platform
• Engage more with the increased interest in using media to tell
the academic story e.g. Tales From the Ivory Tower

37. Produce once - publish many
• Move away from hosting content in a number of places e.g.
Apple’s servers, YouTube etc
• Have one hosting platform with the ability to publish into
YouTube, UoS website, iTunes U, MOLE......

38. Come and join us!
• www.shef.ac.uk/itunesu
• itunesu@sheffield.ac.uk
• m.winter@sheffield.ac.uk
• creativemedia@sheffield.ac.uk

39. Session Feedback
• We would welcome your feedback on this session, via this URL
• http://goo.gl/ReRYkH
• Thank you