Berkeley Closes iTunesU, Puts YouTube Videos Behind a Wall and Keeps edX Content


UC Berkeley will suspend access to its iTunesU video community beginning on March 15, 2017.

On the same day the university will begin the process of moving the publicly offered YouTube content made from the current legacy channel — youtube.com/ucberkeley — to a new, authentication login-required channel. The entire process is expected to take three to five months.

“Instead of focusing on legacy content that is 3-10 years old, much of which sees very limited use, we will work to create new public content that includes accessible features. Our public legacy libraries on YouTube and iTunesU include over 20,000 publications. (…) Moving our content behind authentication allows us to better protect instructor intellectual property from “pirates” who have reused content for personal profit without consent,” explained Cathy Koshland, UC Berkeley vice chancellor, to the university community.

Additionally, “Berkeley will maintain its commitment to sharing content to the public through our partnership with EdX (edx.org). This free and accessible content includes a wide range of educational opportunities and topics from across higher ed.”