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¹û¶³Ó°Ôº has taken a leading step forward in opening up its educational impact to the world. It has today launched its platform on iTunes U through which users can download lectures, interviews, seminars and news, and play audio and video materials on their iPod or computer.

Until now, only North American institutions have featured on iTunes U. The new partnership between ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº and Apple makes ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº the first mainstream UK university (and one of only three European universities, with Trinity College Dublin and the Open University) to pioneer global participation in iTunes U.

¹û¶³Ó°Ôº on iTunes U broadcasts talks and lectures by ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº academics, interviews and news of ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº research, and information for prospective staff and students. Two priority areas for ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº are in the spotlight first: Enterprise, bringing innovations in research to the marketplace, and Global Health, rallying the university's breadth of intellectual capital to provide solutions to one of the world's major problems.

Highlights of ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº on iTunes U include:

• a virtual tour of this year's ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Slade School of Fine Art Summer Show
• recent lectures by high-profile speakers, such as Dr Tadataka Yamada of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
• first-hand expert accounts of the history of neuroscience, produced by the Wellcome Centre for the History of Medicine at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº
• a weekly audio round-ups of news from ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº
• ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº's hugely popular Lunch Hour Lectures, providing the public with a behind-the-scenes look at cutting-edge research
• an interview with ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº President and Provost Professor Malcolm Grant, who explains ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº's mission as London's global university and our vision for the future.

¹û¶³Ó°Ôº academics and students are already using new technologies, including podcasting, to share information from their research and studies. ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº on iTunes U enhances the university's provision of information and extends its reach to new audiences around the world. It will also enhance learning and teaching, developing innovation through new technology and meeting the needs of today's techno-literate students.

¹û¶³Ó°Ôº President and Provost Professor Malcolm Grant said: "¹û¶³Ó°Ôº is one of the world's leading universities, with an ethos not only of excellence, but also of innovation and accessibility. It is entirely in keeping with this ethos that we engage with new technologies to further our teaching, learning and engagement with the public. We are pleased to be leading the way in Europe."

¹û¶³Ó°Ôº will use the service to engage with key audiences both at home and abroad, building our profile as a leading research-intensive university offering innovative teaching.

Professor Peter Mobbs, who leads the academic aspect of ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº on iTunes U, said: "Our students will be able to revisit materials presented to them in lectures, so they can learn anywhere and anytime. Furthermore, our students are among the world's best and brightest, and I want them to be involved in generating and sharing their own content - discovery, analysis, imaginings - through audio and visual media, in collaboration with staff and other students."

Evidence from North America has shown a strong demand from students, academics and the wider public for audio and visual podcasts on iTunes U. Some US institutions have thousands of podcasts available and attract millions of users worldwide.

For more information and to launch ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº on iTunes U click .

To download or update the iTunes application click .Ìý