Students at the University of Michigan's School of Dentistry use their iPods and MP3 players for more than just listening to music--they also listen to class lectures and review notes with a student-run project that uses iTunes technology for academic purposes.

UM-Dentistry uses iTunes U, a free content-management system from Apple Computer, to post audio recordings of class lectures online. Students can preview a lecture recording, download an individual lecture, or subscribe to have downloads delivered to their computers or MP3 players automatically.

The program represents yet another example of how schools across the country are tapping into the digital music and media phenomenon created by the exploding popularity of Apple's iPod and other portable MP3 players. And now, Apple says it is making its iTunes U available free of charge to any other school or university that wants to use it.

"We're excited, as iTunes U allows learning to happen truly anywhere, any time, and in an environment that students are already comfortable with: iTunes and iPod," said Apple spokesman Todd Wilder.

iTunes U is a free, hosted service for colleges and universities that provides easy access to educational content, including lectures and interviews, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, Apple says. Through iTunes U, users reportedly can download content to their Macs or PCs regardless of their location. They can then listen to and view content on their computer or transfer that content to an iPod for listening or viewing on the go.

UM-Dentistry students can access iTunes U through any computer, using their UM identification and password. Under UM's system, a designated student begins recording a lecture at the beginning of class and stops the recording when the lecture is over. That student then posts the lecture audio online as soon as possible.

"I've had zero complaints," Lynn Johnson, associate professor of dentistry and director of dentistry informatics at UM-Dentistry, said of the school's collaboration with Apple. "The students have it organized, and they're doing it, and at the end of last semester there were more than 300 lectures on the web site."

The project began in 2004 when first-year dental student Jared Van Ittersum wondered why electronic versions of class lectures were not available.

"He asked to have all the lectures taped, and at first all I could see were dollar signs," Johnson said. Johnson and Van Ittersum discussed his idea with other dental school staff and decided to run a pilot to see how the program would work.

"If the students wanted this, they'd have to carry the weight of it," Johnson said.

Johnson, a self-described techie, and a group of students worked with a pilot program consisting of three different electronic approaches. Lectures were posted online in video with audio format, PowerPoint with audio format, and as straight audio files. They then consulted download traffic on the school's server logs to see which format students downloaded the most.