Milestone Documents Reinvents the Primary Source Reader

DALLAS, Oct. 3, 2011 -- The primary source reader has an all-new model with this week's launch of Milestone Documents, an online classroom resource that includes more than 1,200 key historical documents and expert analysis from a global network of scholars. With a price tag that checks in at under $20 for a semester's worth of unlimited access, Milestone Documents provides students with an exceptional, affordable document reader. At the same time, history and social science faculty enjoy a guilt-free add-on to enrich the classroom experience or a low-cost, robust alternative to an expensive textbook.

"We've reinvented the reader in a way that makes it so rich, so deep, and so broad that it can be customized to support virtually any history-related class or syllabus," said Neil Schlager, publisher of Milestone Documents. "With Milestone Documents, we're responding to the growing number of faculty who are breaking away from the traditional print model and the limitations it imposes on the learning experience and on their students' wallets."

The rising cost of textbooks has ignited interest in finding alternatives to traditional paths. In history and social science disciplines, where document readers have long been used as ancillaries, instructors are exploring their use in a textbook-free teaching environment. While it can be used as a companion to a traditional textbook, Milestone Documents can also replace the textbook, thus easing the transition to new teaching formats. The Web platform supports more primary sources than any print book could hold. But Milestone Documents takes the reader model a step further by pairing documents with in-depth scholarly commentary, provided by historians from around the world. This commentary models the analytical process for students and offers a level of historical context far beyond that of the typical document reader. As a result, classroom discussion is elevated beyond simply names and facts.

Milestone Documents is suitable for introductory and advanced courses in history, political science, religions, and philosophy at the collegiate level, as well as AP and honors courses at the high school level. Its Web format and support of instructor uploads makes it easy to customize, reducing instructor prep time. Milestone Documents is designed to support the modern classroom experience students demand: plug-ins enable students to highlight and take notes; class home pages are simple to set up; and private messaging and discussion boards encourage collaboration and support study groups.

About Milestone Documents

Milestone Documents is an online learning platform developed for use in history and social science courses. Pairing the most significant primary documents of all time with award-winning analysis by a global network of 300 historians and scholars, Milestone Documents has an expanding document collection of more than 1,200 primary sources. It is accessible via the Web, the iPad, and any smart phone.