Apple’s iTunes U offers free knowledge from top universities

“In an empty classroom on the campus of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Walter H.G Lewin, a physics professor, is practicing one of his lectures on the science of everyday phenomena,” Jeffrey Selingo reports for The Washington Post.

“Lewin has been teaching at MIT since the 1960s, and his courses are legendary among generations of students there. But he wants to get this lecture — where he dives into the science of rainbows, musical instruments and pacemakers — exactly right. The audience is not just his students at MIT. It could be anyone around the world with access to a computer and Apple’s iTunes store,” Selingo reports.

“MIT is one of 28 colleges that have posted courses, campus speeches and other events on a section of iTunes known as iTunes U. Since the site was launched last spring with 16 institutions, material from it has been downloaded more than 4 million times,” Selingo reports. “Unlike other offerings from Apple’s music store, where songs cost 99 cents, everything on iTunes U is free.”

Full article here.

More info about Apple’s iTunes U here.

20 Comments

  1. I browsed the MIT listing searching for the Lewin lectures but haven’t found them yet. Under Internationl Relations, another interest of mine, I found only one offering… by Noam Chomsky. Ptui! I can’t believe people still take that radical nutjob seriously.

    Obviously, iTunes U is a work in progress. But overall I see it as yet another great contribution by Apple.

  2. “I found only one offering… by Noam Chomsky. Ptui! I can’t believe people still take that radical nutjob seriously.” Raymond from DC.

    DC is clearly full of “nutjobs” – Chomsky isn’t one of them.

  3. @shen,
    You’re the one who’s clueless, buddy. Referring to Chomsky as a “nutjob” is actually quite generous to that guy. BTW, my academic training IS in philosophy, so don’t try that condescending cr*p on me.

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