Digital Learning Interactive and SMARTHINKING Partner to Take Online Learning To the Next Level.

Online Tutoring to Complement Learning with Online Textbooks

MEDFORD, Mass., Oct. 24 /PRNewswire/ --

Digital Learning Interactive, the leading provider of original, entirely online college-level textbooks, and SMARTHINKING, the leading provider of online academic assistance, today announced a partnership that promises to take online learning to the next level. Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will jointly market and sell their respective online learning products and services.

SMARTHINKING is the industry leader in online, person-to-person academic assistance. Students from over 50 universities and colleges have benefited from the service since the launch of the SMARTHINKING pilot program in January 2000. Through this partnership, SMARTHINKING will provide all students who use Digital Learning Interactive's textbooks with a free 30 day trial account including 1/2 hour of live tutoring or use of the Online Writing Lab. In addition students will receive unlimited access to SMARTHINKING's independent study resources including study guides, practice problems and research engines.

In return, Digital Learning Interactive will advertise SMARTHINKING as its preferred provider of online tutoring, and will feature SMARTHINKING's Online Writing Lab as a support tool for Digital Learning Interactive's fall 2000 history and literature titles. To date, more than 400 colleges and universities across the United States have used Digital Learning Interactive's online textbooks, which cover history, literature, French, and other subjects.

"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."

"By providing SMARTHINKING's services to students using Digital Learning Interactive's textbooks, we are giving students a personal academic safety net on the Internet," said SMARTHINKING President and Co-Founder Burck Smith. "By pairing online help with online textbooks, we are changing the face of online learning."

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 SMARTHINKING

SMARTHINKING, a Washington, D.C.-based company, provides 24/7, person-to- person online academic assistance for core college courses through the use of cutting edge technologies, including virtual whiteboards, chat rooms, and personalized feedback tools. Carefully screened and rigorously trained e-structors(TM) are available to help students in real-time. By harnessing the power of the Internet, SMARTHINKING leads the way in offering supplemental support to students wherever and whenever they need it. SMARTHINKING may be found online at www.smarthinking.com.