Stanford is taking that a step further by linking the Piazza social learning platform with one of the most popular iTunes U courses: Professor Paul Hegarty’s iPad and iPhone App Development.
The new social media aspect of the course builds on a technology many students already use: Piazza, a social learning platform. Stanford students taking the classroom version of Paul Hegarty’s programming course, on which the online course is based, have used Piazza.
Earlier versions of the 10-week apps course have proved enormously popular, with individual lecture videos downloaded more than 10 million times.
The inclusion of Piazza will enhance the learning experience, said Brent Izutsu, Stanford’s program manager for iTunes U. “There is an enormous potential for collaboration and community-building though Q&A and problem-solving with friends from across the globe,” he said.
Those enrolled in the iTunes U class are expected to answer questions as well as ask them, while the course captains facilitate discussions and drive students toward correct answers.
[Via PCMag and Piazza.com]
