Roger Fingas
Apple's iTunes U is set to be updated to allow students to submit homework through the app, and for course materials to integrate external apps, greatly expanding the abilities of its education-focused platform. [Updated]
Students will be able to submit work such as term papers and book reports, Re/code indicated. In an attempt to keep people honest, each submission will generate a timestamp, recorded in a grade book accessible to teachers.
That same grade book will notify teachers when a student has finished their work and it's ready for scrutiny. If students are running out of time, they can be issued reminders.
The extra app support will let courses make use of both Apple apps and third-party offerings. Separately, Apple is also reportedly planning to implement new discussion options, potentially improving communication with teachers.
The last iTunes U update was released in January. Apple may be hoping to revitalize support for the iPad among educational institutions, which in some cases have deliberately skipped the tablet in favor of options like Chromebooks, which can be cheaper and/or easier for institutions to manage.
Update: The new version is now available for free from the App Store, and requires iOS 8.3. However, while it does include the promised homework, grade book, and discussion functions, there is no mention of external app support. Previously unreported additions include the ability to annotate PDF documents from within the app, and multiple file attachments for submissions.
Malcolm Owen
Christine McKee
Andrew Orr
William Gallagher
13 Comments
I feel like iTunes U could use some new branding. Reminds me of how Microsoft used to use windows for everything. Apple should think about renaming it, it's a little confusing for someone just figuring out what it is.
iTunes U has to Apple's most under-resourced, attention-starved product. It offers so little serious functionality for educators and students. It's like no one in the company has paid any attention to it in years.
Education software is generally pretty poorly designed. Apple has the chance to create a truly amazing software platform in this sphere, one that could not only be useful but also profitable. But if the past decade or so is any guide, I am not holding my breath.
I adore iTunesU. If anyone here is wanting to learn Swift programming may I recommend taking Stanford course CS193p "Developing Applications for iOS". Paul Hegarty is a great professor. I love how he keeps showing you how to consolidate your code. This is a Winter 2015 course which means it took place from January to April of this year. It's a little out of date with Swift moving from 1.2 to 2.0, but I doubt that will be much of an obstacle, especially since Swift 2.0 won't be an issue unless you install the latest Xcode beta. [LIST] [*] https://itunes.apple.com/us/course/developing-ios-8-apps-swift/id961180099 [/LIST] Paul Hegarty on Steve Jobs the day after his death… [VIDEO]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x4PY3h6ys7A[/VIDEO]
iTunes U has to Apple's most under-resourced, attention-starved product.
I thought the posters here usually argued the most attention-starved was the Mac Mini - no?
I adore iTunesU. If anyone here is wanting to learn Swift programming may I recommend taking Stanford course CS193p "Developing Applications for iOS". Paul Hegarty is a great professor. I love how he keeps showing you how to consolidate your code. This is a Winter 2015 course which means it took place from January to April of this year. It's a little out of date with Swift moving from 1.2 to 2.0, but I doubt that will be much of an obstacle, especially since Swift 2.0 won't be an issue unless you install the latest Xcode beta.
I wish there were more courses about developing applications using Swift for the Mac. It seems like all the programming courses these days are for mobile - but the Mac is far from dead!