Apple wants you to go to university, for free, with its iTunes U app. Apple invites you to “Learn a new language. Study Shakespeare. Discover the cosmos.”

iTunes U — A New Way to Learn

Remember the scene in Good Will Hunting where Matt Damon, who plays a Southie genius in the film, comes to the defense of his friend, Ben Affleck, who is being mocked by a pretentious grad student? At the end of the tirade that leaves the pony-tailed Harvardite searching for an original thought, Damon says to him, “You dropped a hundred and fifty grand on an education you could have got for a $1.50 in late charges at the public library.” (I dropped the expletive.)

Now, no one is going to deny a Harvard education, but the point being made is that one doesn’t always need to follow convention to obtain an ‘education’. Well, Apple with its iTunes U app has now bridged those two disparate perspectives on formal education. Of course, it does require the investment in an iPhone, iPod, or an iPad, but these days, these devices are almost common place—at least, they are fast becoming that.

How iTunes U Works

The iTunes U app gives you full access to courses at major universities from around the world, including Stanford, Yale, and MIT. These are not courses made specifically for the iDevices. They are actual courses taught by instructors at these leading universities. Even if you are already studying formally at an institution, iTunes U is an excellent companion and resource center.

With the iTunes U app, you can see assignments and updates from instructors in one place. You can also check off assignments as you complete them. You can takes notes and highlight iBooks that go along with the course, and there is a full range of rich content available to you, such as videos, documents, and presentations.

The collection includes over 500, 000 lectures and is not limited to universities. You also have access to courses and materials from cultural and heritage institutions like the MoMA, the New York Public Library, and the Library of Congress. It has been said that your local public library is a great social ‘equalizer’. It gives lower-income families and immigrants access to a wealth of materials at little to no cost.

Now with iTunes U, the possibilities appear to be endless. A child from another part of the world who has access to an iDevice can now browse through the virtual shelves of the Library of Congress and be inspired by the vast collection of knowledge.

iTunes you requires iOS 5 or later. The app can be downloaded for free.