Smarthinkings Exposure Leaps To Over Four Million Students
Washington, DC – October 10, 2000
SMARTHINKING, the nations leading provider of online tutoring and academic assistance for college students, announced partnerships with Blackboard Inc., Digital Learning Interactive, and Mascot Network Inc., increasing its exposure to an audience of over four million higher-education students.
“Given the demands and needs of todays college students, online tutoring and academic assistance are a logical next step to supplement the work of professors and augment already existing institutional academic support services,” said Burck Smith, co-founder and president of SMARTHINKING. “The partnerships with Blackboard, Digital Learning Interactive, and Mascot Network, all leaders in their field, reflect their understanding of the importance of our service and reflect our values of quality, innovation and a commitment to all the colleges, universities and the students we serve.”
Appreciating that learning involves more than what occurs in the classroom, the pairing of SMARTHINKINGs service with leading Internet infrastructure company Blackboard Inc.s Blackboard 5tm e-Learning software platform offers students the academic support they need to enrich learning and scholarship. Blackboard Inc. serves more than 3.5 million unique users in every state and 70 countries and its products are used by more than 4,000 colleges, universities and other institutions to bring their academic, community and other educational services online. As a result of this partnership, all Blackboard 5 and Blackboard.com users will be able to access SMARTHINKING through the Blackboard Resource Center as well as their Blackboard courses.
“One of our main goals at Blackboard is to offer students anywhere, anytime access to educational tools online,” said Matthew Pittinsky, chairman and co-CEO of Blackboard Inc. “SMARTHINKING helps bring us even closer to that goal and we are pleased to work with them in providing students with this kind of high-caliber academic support.”
Digital Learning Interactive is the leading provider of original, entirely online college-level textbooks and currently serves a user base of 25,000 students. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will jointly market and sell their respective online learning products and services.
“Our goal at Digital Learning Interactive is to help professors and students use new technology to enhance and customize the teaching and learning process,” said Robert Fisher, president of Digital Learning Interactive. “By coupling online academic assistance from SMARTHINKING with our online textbooks, we are enabling students to take the next step in online, interactive learning.”
With 65 schools now deployed and 500,000 students, Mascot Network is the leading provider of higher education enterprise portals for colleges and universities. Mascots Web-based and campus-specific services become the online gateway for a school, fostering interaction among students, faculty and campus organizations. Its services include a password-protected online student center, featuring a campus homepage, face directory, events calendar, email, global and local content, e-commerce offerings, and distance learning. SMARTHINKING will be the online tutoring provider featured on Mascot Networks “Life Tools” channel.
“SMARTHINKING provides an essential service for all students and we are excited to offer their online tutoring to Mascot students,” said Jaja Jackson, president and co-founder of Mascot Network Inc. “The partnering of SMARTHINKING with Mascot is another example of the quality services Mascot provides to college and universities across the country.”
About SMARTHINKING
SMARTHINKING, a Washington, DC-based company, provides around-the-clock online tutoring and academic assistance for core courses and skills through the use of cutting-edge technologies including virtual whiteboards, chat technology, and personalized feedback tools. Carefully screened and rigorously trained e-structors™ currently offer real-time support in mathematics, economics, accounting, statistics, and psychology. SMARTHINKING also offers an Online Writing Lab for all courses, Grammar and Brainstorming Help Desks, and independent study resources. SMARTHINKING currently serves more than 50 colleges and universities. Visit SMARTHINKING at www.smarthinking.com.
About Blackboard Inc.
Blackboard is a leading e-Learning infrastructure company powering the online transformation of the global higher education industry. More than 4,000 colleges, universities, and other education providers use its products and Web properties. Blackboard serves more than 3.5 million unique users in every state and in 70 countries. Additional information is available at www.blackboard.com.
About Digital Learning Interactive
Digital Learning Interactive creates media-rich, online textbooks featuring original content, primary source readings, and interactive modules that actively engage students in the learning process. Digital Learning Interactive is located at 10 Cabot Road, Medford, MA 02155, and can be reached by telephone at (781) 306-8100, via fax at (781) 306-8106, or on the Web at www.digitlearn.org.
About Mascot Network
Headquartered in Cambridge, MA, Mascot Network (www.mascotnetwork.com) is the leading provider of higher education enterprise portals for colleges and universities. Mascots Web-based service helps students, faculty and staff communicate and participate more fully in campus life, while helping colleges attract and retain the best and brightest. Mascot counts among its clients Columbia University, Arizona State University, Providence College, Merrimack College, and Springfield Technical Community College.
Contact Info
Andrea Fuller
SMARTHINKING
(202) 543-5034 x 206
afuller@smarthinking.com
