Apple's iTunes U gets Student Discussions, Course Creation

Apple announced an update for the iTunes U app for the iPad on Monday with support for in-app student discussions, the ability for instructors to create courses, and improved class management tools. iTunes U is Apple's online education system for all grade levels and college courses, too.

iTunes U gets new class creation and management toolsiTunes U gets new class creation and management tools

Students can participate in online class discussions from their iPad and use push notifications to stay on top of topics. Teacher scan participate in and moderate discussions, too.

Teachers will be able to use content from iBooks Author and the iWork apps, add photos and videos from their iPad, plus they can use content from over 75,000 educational apps for the iPad. They can also manage lessons from their iPads and create new lessons, too.

iTunes U is available to instructors in 69 countries, and the classes they create are available in 155 countries.

The new features will be available in the iTunes U app on July 8. The app is free, and is available at Apple's iTunes-based App Store.