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TWU goes digital
The University Communications (UComm) department at Trinity Western University is making progress in hopes to be the second university in British Columbia to offer downloadable media content via iTunes U.
The new initiative is a free service that allows educational institutes to make audio and video podcasts available for download on any electronic device that has access to iTunes and the Internet.
There are currently only five Canadian universities sharing content through iTunes U, including the University of British Columbia.
Joan van Dyck, vice president of UComm, says that iTunes U is “a tool that allows us to do something we haven’t been able to do before.” She points out that podcasts, particularly videos, will showcase TWU’s accomplishments.
The TWU iTunes project is currently a UComm endeavour, but other departments on campus have offered ideas as well. Members of UComm initially met with representatives from other departments, such as the Strategic Systems Team, Student Media, Athletics and Alumni Relations to gather input.
“Primarily, UComm is striving to introduce new audiences to TWU and create awareness and excitement about the university’s academic, athletic and creative endeavours,” says Jay Jameson, Communications coordinator.
Jameson comments that professors have expressed their excitement to post students’ work online, such as films and digital recording pieces. Athletics staff are also eager to post podcasts highlighting the success of the Spartans teams.
While iTunes provides a platform for both educational and promotional podcasts, van Dyck says TWU’s goal is to launch content that is informational rather than advertorial.
“The content has to speak to the educational vitality of the [institution],” says van Dyck. She notes that the strength of TWU’s programs will advertise the university in and of themselves.
UComm has been progressing with the project since last November, and is currently gathering and generating content, as well as working through copyright issues. Once there is a platform to work with, TWU must apply for approval from Apple and enter into an iTunes U Service Agreement. The approval process can take about two weeks.
Apple Inc. provides the iTunes U service free of charge to both the university and those who wish to download content. Its setup is similar to that of the iTunes store and is accessible via the “iTunes U” link in the left-hand column on the iTunes store homepage.
TWU may determine which content will be available to the public and which will be accessible only to those students and faculty with a TWUpass account. However, Jameson says that the site will initially be entirely accessible to everyone.
Stay tuned for more information regarding an official launch date.
Fantastic!!!!
I think it would be cool for students at TWU to start up their own independent student radio station/podcast (would have been a radio station back in the day, I guess). Showcase student content, etc. Perhaps a Mars’ Hill endeavour when we’re not in the red anymore (year 2021)?
Radio station would be pretty cool. UFV just stared one (http://civl.ca/). The only broadcast online for now, but I think they are going FM pretty soon. Hopefully if TWU ever pulled this off it would consist of more than worship music.
There have been serious past efforts to start a campus radio station. You can go search the archives for more details.
Thanks for the info Phil, I’ll do that. Rueben, I agree. That was the issue with 2006-07′s UComm podcasts or whatever those were. TWUcast? It was Michael W. Smith and Casting Crowns et al. – Not that I disapprove of those people or what they do with their lives, but simply, don’t we already get enough of that stuff? At the time, I was thinking “Would it hurt to try something homegrown? Or at least a little less mainstream? A little more ‘liberal artsy’ and original?” I mean, we’ve already got PRAISE 106.5, we don’t need an imitation.