In this artfully crafted book, Dowd sets his sights on the pretensions, promises, and perils of recent innovations in higher education. Using the conceptual lens of "ecologies of action," Dowd provides a robust and profoundly engaging critique of the symbolic-material complex--the words and world--that shape contemporary developments in both teaching and learning in the twenty-first century. A must read for anyone interested in diagnosing the current crisis in higher education or predicting its future opportunities.