SMARTHINKING Inks Deal Benefiting Massachusetts Public Higher Education

Washington, DC, December 29, 2010 --(PR.com)-- SMARTHINKING, Inc. (http://www.smarthinking.com), the market leader in providing online tutoring and academic support to college and university students, has announced the creation of the Massachusetts Colleges Online/SMARTHINKING Buying Group, an initiative to provide students with its services across the state. The initiative will provide consortium pricing to any state higher education institution in Massachusetts, including community colleges, state universities or University of Massachusetts campuses. Massachusetts Colleges Online (http://www.mco.mass.edu) was pivotal in creating and facilitating the agreement. Currently there are five Massachusetts higher education customers on board, and students around the state have been helped with nearly 12,000 one-to-one tutoring sessions to date. This agreement will allow additional Massachusetts institutions to implement the online tutoring and academic support services at a lower rate.

Quotes:
“Massachusetts Colleges Online is happy to be a part in the creation of this Buying Group. I encourage all Massachusetts state higher education institutions to explore this opportunity to take advantage of the exceptional services provided by SMARTHINKING to help students thrive,” said Dr. David B. Kelley, executive director of Massachusetts Colleges Online. “Using our strength in numbers allows us all to more easily invest in the success of our students by providing tutoring online any time of the day.”

“We are happy to partner with Massachusetts Colleges Online to provide all Massachusetts state institutions the opportunity to offer outstanding online tutoring to their students,” said Kathy Clark, CEO of SMARTHINKING. “When institutions in a state group together for the benefit of their students, it shows their commitment to education and the high value they place upon using our services to help their students succeed.”

“With SMARTHINKING we are able to offer online tutoring in a wide range of disciplines with extensive operating hours,” said Lynn Zayac, director for the Center for Instructional Technology at Westfield State University. “Access to online tutoring provides help for students who can’t take advantage of our on campus resources during the day – support we simply could not offer without this partnership. In addition to expanded access, feedback demonstrates that students are extremely pleased with the service provided by SMARTHIINKING’s educators.”

Details:
- The Buying Group will be effective from Jan. 1, 2011 to Dec. 31, 2011.

About SMARTHINKING:
SMARTHINKING is the market leader in providing online tutoring and academic support to bolster student performance, persistence and retention. Its services were honored with the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) CODiE award for Best Instruction Solution for Students at Home. Schools, colleges, universities, libraries, government agencies, textbook publishers and other education providers partner with SMARTHINKING to increase student achievement and enhance learning. SMARTHINKING connects students to e-structor®-certified tutors for assistance in math, writing, science and business, up to 24/7, on any Internet connected computer. SMARTHINKING’s corporate office is located in Washington, D.C. For more information, visit http://www.smarthinking.com/.

About Massachusetts Colleges Online (MCO):
Massachusetts Colleges Online (MCO) is a consortium of community colleges and state universities in Massachusetts. The institutions have joined to share their convenient and flexible online courses and programs with students throughout the state and beyond. For more information, visit www.mco.mass.edu.

Brittney Storm
MMI Public Relations
(919) 233-6600
brittney@mmipublicrelations.com
http://www.twitter.com/MMIPR
http://www.mmipublicrelations.com/

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