ITunes U Site Development

Progress

Approved for iTunes U Public Presence

• Submitted for approval on Tuesday 11/19/2008
• Approved 12/15/2008
• Appeared in iTunes U Store on 12/23/2008
• Approved for iTunes U Public facing store

Requested Separate Public & Private iTunes U Spaces

• Kristen contacted Apple on 1/15/2009
• Asked Apple to create a Public Feature Page for our iTunes U
• Heard back from Apple on 1/16/2009; they verified that we know what a Public Feature Page is and wanted to make sure it's what we really want
• Kristen confirmed that we would like a Public Feature Page created for us
• This will give us access to the sleek three-column page design used by Stanford, Duke, University of Michigan, etc.
  • This design allows users to search our content (rather than just browse)
  • Will also allow us to sort content multiple ways
• This design is intended to be a visual cue that lets an iTunes U user know that he/she is visiting the Institute's public arena (as opposed to the place where class materials are kept)
• Keep in mind that the intended use is different than for our private site
• Kristen & Bob spoke with iTunes U rep on 3/2/2009 - convinced us that Public Feature Page is not for us
• Request for separate public space granted 3/5/2009
• Nov 2010 Rebecca and Bob revisit the Public Feature Page option - migrated content into web content editor, working on collections, tags, and artwork

Compiled FAQs

• Do I have to pay to access MIIS on iTunes U?
• What if I have Windows? Can I still install iTunes?
• How do I access MIIS on iTunes U?
• Is MIIS's content part of the iTunes Music Store?
• Can I access MIIS on iTunes U directly without first opening a browser?
• A podcast has images, but they do not appear when I play it. How can I see them?
• I can see other people's playlist in my iTunes. Did someone hack into my computer?
• What do I need to use iTunes U?
• Do I need an iPod to use iTunes U?
• Where can I download iTunes?
• How do I login to iTunes U?
• Is the MIIS on iTunes content under copyright protection?
• What is a podcast?
• How can I create my own podcast?
• Where in iTunes is the content I downloaded from MIIS on iTunes U?
• Can I use other mp3 players with iTunes?
• What else can I do using the iTunes software?
• I want to distribute a URL to something specific in iTunesU. Can I link directly to this content?

Created Launch/Support Page

• Several good examples:
  • http://www.ucl.ac.uk/news/news-articles/0806/08060301
  • http://www.otis.edu/life_otis/help/faqitunesu.html

Additional Work to be Done

Form an Editorial Board

• Look deeper into our iTunes U presence
• Act as a podcast content steering committee
• Members:
  • Bob
  • Kristen
  • Jason
  • Rob
  • Kenley
  • Sarah
  • Jacolyn
  • Jen/Edy
  • Shirley Coly

Decide Which Content Should Be Public vs. Private

• Create architecture for new Public Feature Page
• Rethink the architecture currently in place (this will become the private site)

Consider Crossposting Content from YouTube to iTunes U

• Make content available in both places
• Users can then choose their preferred information source

Establish Workflow & Style Guide

• Draft a support document that covers the following:
  • Filming
  • Editing
  • Uploading to iTunes U
  • Assigning topics to files ("Topics" can become a sidebar on the Public Feature Page)

• Establish guidelines for the following ID3 tags:
  • Track name
  • Artwork
  • Artist
  • Album
  • Year
  • Genre
  • Comments
  • Summary
  • Category
• NO ACRONYMS on items that will be viewed by the public

Filling out this:

Results in this:

Determine How Users will be Authenticated

• Schedule a conversation with Middlebury
• See what they are doing with iTunes U, how users are logging in

Define User Permissions

• Assign instructors to courses so that they can edit their own course content