This fall, DePaul University business students can download professors as well as tunes from a popular Web site for sharing music and streaming video.

The university’s College of Commerce has begun posting video podcasts featuring selected professor introductions on the university’s new iTunes U Web site (http://iTunes.depaul.edu/) and plans to eventually add profiles of its entire 100-member business faculty to the site.

Running from two to five minutes each, the professor podcasts stylistically resemble newscasts. Professors are shown discussing their teaching philosophy, academic background and professional experience while corresponding graphics appear behind them. The digital introductions can be downloaded and viewed on iPods, as well as cell phones and personal computers.

“Much of learning is visual and these technologies allow professors to engage their audience and build trust,” said James Moore, director of distance learning for College of Commerce, who works with faculty members to turn their profiles and selected course content into podcasts. “For students trying to decide which course to enroll in, they provide a direct and more reliable view of a professor’s teaching style than anonymous comments posted on professor rating Web sites. For students already enrolled in a course, the podcast serves as an icebreaker before they step into the classroom.”

The college first began producing faculty podcasts last year to introduce professors to students in DePaul’s overseas MBA programs in the Czech Republic, Bahrain and Taiwan.

Professors fly into these countries to teach courses on compressed two-to-three week schedules. This allows little time for student-faculty interaction before professors must dive into course material. The podcasts have helped the international students feel more at ease with their new Chicago professors.

Assistant accounting professor Kelly Pope believes an iTunes introduction featuring a photo and description of her family as well as her academic biography made a summer course she taught in Taiwan go more smoothly.

“When I arrived in Taiwan, I was greeted by a warm welcome from my class,” she said. “The podcast gave students the opportunity to get to know me without them feeling uncomfortable asking personal questions. Video introductions can help merge the gap between cultural differences.”

Podcasts also are useful tools for distance learning classes in which professors and students rarely meet face-to-face. Pope said she plans to make extensive use of the technology in an upcoming online MBA class in managerial accounting. “I will incorporate weekly clips to introduce the start of each new lesson,” she said. “My goal is to help the students feel more connected to me and my course.”

Moore said the podcasts help DePaul’s business school meet the educational needs of the many working professionals in its programs. “Many of our graduate students have jobs that require them to balance work and study time,” Moore said. “The professor introductions help them quickly transition into a new course, and the posted lecture material allows them to balance their time more efficiently.”