By AppleInsider Staff

Published: 08:00 AM EST

Apple on Wednesday announced the launch of iTunes U, a dedicated area within the iTunes Store featuring free content such as course lectures, language lessons, lab demonstrations, sports highlights and campus tours provided by top US colleges and universities including Stanford University, UC Berkeley, Duke University and MIT.

"iTunes U makes it easy for anyone to access amazing educational material from many of the country’s most respected colleges and universities," said Eddy Cue, Apple’s vice president of iTunes. "Education is a lifelong pursuit and we’re pleased to give everyone the ability to download lectures, speeches and other academic content for free."

Created in collaboration with colleges and universities, iTunes U makes it easier to extend learning, explore interests, learn more about a school and stay connected with an alma mater. Content from iTunes can be loaded onto an iPod with just one click and experienced on-the-go, anytime, making learning from a lecture just as simple as enjoying music.

"From its earliest days, Stanford has sought to serve the public by sharing the knowledge generated by our faculty and students," said Stanford Provost John Etchemendy. "Our partnership with Apple and iTunes U provides a creative and innovative way to engage millions of people with our teaching, learning and research and share the experience of intellectual exploration and discovery that defines our university."

Apple's iTunes Store features the world’s largest catalog, adding the new education content to over five million songs, 350 television shows and over 500 movies. The iTunes Store has sold over 2.5 billion songs, 50 million TV shows and over two million movies, making it the world’s most popular online music, TV and movie store.