School of Dentistry, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor

Dental Students Launch iTunes U Initiative

“Being physically present in the classroom is the starting point, the foundation. Listening to the lectures on the iPod allows students to build on that foundation.”

— Lynn Johnson, Associate Professor of Dentistry and Director of Dental Informatics and Information Technology, University of Michigan, School of Dentistry

Students at the University of Michigan's Dental School have started sprouting the familiar white ear-buds of Apple's iPod around campus. But instead of listening to top-40 hits, most are taking advantage of their free time to review lectures and lessons. Following the success of a pilot program launched by a second-year dental student, faculty members now make their lectures available via iTunes U to their students for review after their classes.

Music to their teeth

In 2004, student Jared Van Ittersum sought a way to reinforce what he'd heard in the University of Michigan lecture halls. Through a collaboration with a member of the School's Office of Dental Informatics, Van Ittersum completed three pilot studies with 60 dental students, comparing their preferences for web-based content and content that could be played on an iPod. Overwhelmingly, the students favored the flexibility and mobility of iPod, and the ease of use of downloading the content through iTunes U.

Thus, in September of 2005, University of Michigan introduced iTunes U to the entire dental school making it simple for students to access classroom lectures. Now, students use recording equipment in the lecture halls and capture the content. In minutes, the material is available for download to an iPod, Mac, PC, or any other desired device or computer. While Associate Professor of Dentistry Lynn Johnson says it is up to students to get the faculty member's permission to record a lecture, she adds that "no faculty member has ever said 'no' to a student."