La Trobe University has taken the plunge into tablet learning the “Greek” way. It is offering free courses through Apple’s new tool iTunes-U and its first semester offerings include the history, literature, art and architecture of ancient Greece dating to the end of the 5th century BC, which already had 45,500 subscribers and counting.
La Trobe’s iTunes-U has a total of six first-semester courses, which has attracted a total of 100,000 subscribers and 2.3 million downloads of lectures and educational material. Following the success of the launch, the university is now looking to capitalise on its popular podcasts and is considering whether to offer a certificate of recognition on the completion of its courses.
The Melbourne university’s Greek history subject is the fifth most popular course on iTunes-U, and soon La Trobe’s School of Mediterranean Studies will submit a second-semester course on ancient Rome. Head of historical and European studies, Christopher Mackie, has been staggered by the success of the podcasts and lecture materials that include his own lectures on Homer’s Illiad.
La Trobe University is the first Australian tertiary institution to get on board with the online course tool, taking its place alongside American institutions including Yale, Stanford and University of California. The Australian university’s iTunes courses are still free now, but discussions are underway on the possibility of monetising the online classes.