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Today I discovered that Apple recently posted a document with the story behind the Stanford University iTunes U site with tips for schools new to iTunes U. Here’s an excerpt with things to keep in mind when starting your own site:

“Top Five Things to Think About When Starting Your Own iTunes U site:

1. Content, Content, Content

  • At a university, the most important thing is substance. So make sure you cast a really broad net that draws the best intellectual content to the site. The worst thing you can do is show yourself in a way that doesn’t represent the core values of your university.

2. Stay Focused

  • Start small. Don’t go into it thinking you have to change the communications landscape overnight. Just get a good, coherent, small program running. It’s better to start with a few great pieces than a lot of mediocre ones.

3. Get Support

  • Enlist the support of critical allies in the university system. They could be alumni; or staff from the president’s office, the chancellor’s office, or development; or any combination thereof. It’s important to leverage the success of your iTunes U site to build awareness and get the right people on board.

4. Staff Properly

  • Look to student interns for staffing options. They’re much more affordable than traditional staff and give you more flexibility: You can hire them for a quarter or a semester. Moreover, their technology skills tend to be up-to-date.

5. Set Realistic Expectations

  • Know that you’re not going to have huge results right away. If you set expectations very high— with partners at your institution and in your own department— then you may be disappointed. It takes a while for things to reach critical mass.“

You can download the full 4 page Stanford story (stanfordtop5.pdf) here.

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