Alison (company)

Irish online education platform

Alison

Type of site

| e-learning, online education
Available in| English, Spanish, French, Portuguese, Russian, Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Urdu[1]
Headquarters| Galway, Ireland
Owner| Capernaum Ltd.
Created by| Mike Feerick (founder and CEO)
URL| www.alison.com
Commercial| Yes
Registration| Required
Users| 25 million (2022)[2][3]
Launched| 21 April 2007; 18 years ago (2007-04-21)[4]
Current status| Active

ALISON is an Irish online education platform for higher education that provides certificate courses and accredited diploma courses.[5][6] It was founded on 21 April 2007 in Galway, Ireland, by Irish social entrepreneur Mike Feerick.[7]

As of July 2022, Alison has 4,000 courses, 25 million learners worldwide, and 4.5 million graduates.[2][3]

## History

[edit]

Mike Feerick developed the platform in 2006. On 21 April 2007, Alison was launched with six courses.[7] On 5 July 2016, President Pranab Mukherjee of India announced the partnership between Alison and the National Skill Development Corporation.[8][9]

In 2015, Alison in partnership with the US Correctional Education Association launched an online course for skills to get back into work, aimed at people in prison to address recidivism through free online education.[10]

In April 2017, the company launched its mobile application.[11] In March 2021, Alison announced the acquisition of Dash Beyond, an India-based edutech company that specializes in career development and skills training.[12] In May 2021, Alison announced an agreement with Co-operation Ireland for the West of Ireland. The three-year sponsorship helped in the development of a Support Chapter for the North/South peace charity in the West of Ireland, and the development of an All-Ireland Online Schools Programme.[13]

In 2025, former Fine Gael Minister of State Ciarán Cannon joined Alison as Vice President of Global Affairs.[14]

## Products and services

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### Business model

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The platform allows registered users to access digitally-based education and skills training for free.[7] Alison's income is generated through advertising and the sale of certificates.[15] According to The Economist, the company seeks to drive education through advertising in the manner of television and radio. The platform uses an online pay per click advertising revenue model.[7][16]

### Courses

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As of 2022, Alison has courses and learning verticals across nine core subject categories, at certificate and diploma levels.[17] There is no time limit for completing a course.[18][7] In 2020, Alison published a course on the coronavirus in 50 languages.[19] In partnership with mEducation Alliance, Alison has developed 2 courses on digital literacy in 2022.[20] In partnership with EcoEd4All, the company also offers environmental education courses.[21]

Courses are accredited by CPD UK, the continuing professional development institution in the United Kingdom.[22] The company also conducts Wellbeing Survey, in partnership with the healthcare provider Welliba.[15]

## Awards

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Alison was among the four winners of the 2010 UNESCO King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Prize, a Prize for innovation in ICT for Education.[23] In October 2013, Alison won an award at the World Innovation Summit for Education held in Qatar.[24]

In February 2021, Alison was awarded the Civil Solidarity Prize by the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) for its free course "Coronavirus – What you need to know", which was published in February 2020 to inform people about the spread of the virus, its effects and how to protect themselves.[25][26]

## See also

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* Language education
* List of Language Self-Study Programs
* Massive open online course

## References

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1. ^ Bornstein, David (11 July 2012). "Open Education for a Global Economy". The New York Times (editorial). Retrieved 6 January 2019.
2. ^ a b "ALISON - Enterprise Ireland". Enterprise Ireland. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
3. ^ a b "Alison.com's Mike Feerick: 'There's a huge, soft underbelly in the education business – the model is broken'". Irish Independent. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
4. ^ Bushnell, Niam (16 March 2017). "Mike Feerick: a Meaningful Career on the Internet since 1991". Dublin Globe. Archived from the original on 23 January 2019. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
5. ^ "ALISON – Advance Learning Interactive Online". ALISON.com. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
6. ^ Bornstein, David (11 July 2012). "Open Education for a Global Economy". Opinionator. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
7. ^ a b c d e Glader, Paul. "Khan Academy Competitor? Mike Feerick of ALISON.com Talks About The Future Of Online Education". Wired Academic. Archived from the original on 31 May 2013. Retrieved 25 July 2013.
8. ^ Malapur, Deepak (18 July 2016). "NSDC and Alison collaborate for skill development across India". Career India. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
9. ^ "ALISON announces new partnership in India". RTE.ie. 15 July 2016. Retrieved 13 January 2019.
10. ^ "Reaching the parts others cannot teach". BBC News. 28 July 2015. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
11. ^ High, Peter (11 December 2017). "Is Alison The Answer To The World's Education Needs?". Forbes. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
12. ^ "Alison Acquires Dash Beyond". Irish Telegraph. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
13. ^ O'Connell, Dave (13 May 2021). "Galway's global educator aims to break down border barriers". connachttribune.ie. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
14. ^ https://connachttribune.ie/former-minister-ciaran-cannon-joins-alison-as-vice-president-of-global-affairs/
15. ^ a b "Mike Feerick takes to the road to hear how Alison.com is changing lives in Africa". eLearning Africa News. 20 April 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
16. ^ "The attack of the MOOCs". The Economist. 20 July 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
17. ^ "Understand the types of courses offered by Alison". Alison. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
18. ^ High, Peter (11 July 2010). "CEO Of The World's First MOOC Provides Hope To Former Prisoners Through Education". Forbes. Retrieved 6 January 2019.
19. ^ "Coronavirus - What you need to know". Alison. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
20. ^ "Youth Digital Champions". mEducation Alliance. Retrieved 19 August 2022.
21. ^ "EcoEd4All". Retrieved 19 August 2022.
22. ^ "Alison Accreditation Explained". Alison. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
23. ^ "Galway-based online learning provider wins top UNESCO prize". Galway Advertiser. 20 January 2011. Retrieved 19 January 2011.
24. ^ Coughlan, Sean (30 October 2013). "Biggest educator you've never heard of". BBC News. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
25. ^ "ALISON LEARNING PLATFORM WINS EESC CIVIL SOLIDARITY PRIZE FOR IRELAND". European Economic and Social Committee. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2022.
26. ^ "Alison wins EESC prize for Covid-19 information course". TechCentral.ie. 15 February 2021. Retrieved 29 March 2022.

## External links

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* Official website