Type Subsidiary Website www.smarthinking.com Headquarters Washington, D.C. | Founded 1999 | |
Key people Christa Ehmann Powers, Chief Education Officer Parent organizations Pearson Education, Pearson Education Services Pvt. Ltd. | ||
Smarthinking is an academic online tutoring service, provided by Pearson Education, that offers students on-demand support from tutors in over 25 subjects. Learners can connect with educators on subjects including mathematics & statistics, writing, science, computers & technology, business, nursing & allied health, reading, Spanish and science. Access is available 24 hours a day through live drop-in sessions or pre-scheduled appointments. Smarthinking uses a pedagogical approach along with whiteboard interface technology to connect students and tutors.
Contents
Smarthinking launched in 1999 to provide real-time assistance for students in postsecondary education. In 2007, Smarthinking was honored with the Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) CODie award for Best Instruction Solutions for Students at Home.
History
In an effort to expand its offerings, Pearson Education acquired Smarthinking in February 2011. December 1, 2011 Smarthinking launched its new discipline of support for reading. Tutors could perform live sessions in core areas of vocabulary, reading and comprehension. In 2012, Pearson reported the addition of Liberal Arts Math to its Math services. To date Smarthinking has over 1500 tutors, and has completed between 6 and 7 million tutoring sessions. It's headquartered in 1919 M. St., NW Suite 600 Washington, DC 20036.
Leadership
Smarthinking leadership team is composed of former college professors and experts in their disciplines.
Christa Ehmann Powers, Ph.D. has served as Vice President & Chief Education Officer since Smarthinking’s launch in 1999, and heads the development of online tutoring and instructional services in the United States and internationally.
Results
Pearson- conducted efficacy studies on the effectiveness of Smarthinking have shown the impact of usage, including:
• Students using Smarthinking at Volunteer State Community College were eight times more likely to successfully complete their courses.