The Chronicle Releases Its First E-Book: ‘Rebooting the Academy’

The Chronicle published on Wednesday its first e-book: Rebooting the Academy: 12 Tech Innovators Who Are Transforming Campuses.

It’s an expanded version of a feature published earlier this year, which tells the stories of a dozen key figures who are changing research, teaching, and the management of colleges in this time of technological change. The e-book features essays by each of the 12 innovators, explaining their visions in their own words and providing more details on their projects, plus The Chronicle’s profiles of them.

Among the highlights: Salman Khan, founder of Khan Academy, riffs on how video lectures can improve teaching; Dan Cohen, of George Mason University’s Center for History and New Media, asks whether Google is good for the study of history; and Jim Groom, an instructional-technology specialist at the University of Mary Washington, argues against the very premise of the collection, noting that the best innovations come from groups, not individual leaders.

The profiles were written by five Chronicle reporters: Goldie Blumenstyk, Nick DeSantis, Jennifer Howard, Marc Parry, and Jeffrey R. Young. The e-book was edited by Mr. Young, who leads The Chronicle’s technology coverage, and Tim McCormick, who until recently was at Stanford University’s HighWire Press.

The e-book is available on Amazon, on Apple’s iTunes store, and on the Barnes & Noble Nook store. It should soon also be available for purchase through The Chronicle’s iPad App,

We think there’s value in bringing all of this material together in one convenient package, now that so many college administrators and professors are using e-readers and tablets.

Look for more e-books from The Chronicle in the near future. The next title, coming in late August, will be aimed at graduate students and focused on the issues surrounding their advisers.