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{{Infobox website
| name = ALISON
| logo = 
| screenshot =
| caption =
| url = {{URL|http://www.ALISON.com/}}
| type = [[Online education]]
| language = [[English language|English]], [[Spanish language|Spanish]], [[French language|French]], [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Russian language|Russian]]. [[Arabic]], [[Chinese language|Chinese]], [[Hebrew language|Hebrew]], [[Hindi language|Hindi]], [[Urdu language|Urdu]]
| registration = Required 
| owner = [[Mike Feerick]]
| author = [[Mike Feerick]], founder and CEO
| launch_date = April 2007
| logo_caption = "A new world of free certified learning"<ref>http://www.ALISON.com</ref>
| alexa = 8,699 Global, 8,324 India ({{as of|2013|7|22|alt=July 2013}})<ref name="alexa">{{cite web|url=http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/alison.com |title= alison.com Site Info | publisher= [[Alexa Internet]] |accessdate= 2013-07-22 }}</ref>
}}

ALISON (Advance Learning Interactive Systems Online) is an Ireland–based [[e-learning]] provider founded in [[Galway]] in 2007 by social entrepreneur [[Mike Feerick]]. ALISON is cited in industry literature as the first [[MOOC]], pioneering the systematic aggregation of online interactive learning resources made available worldwide with a [[freemium]] model.<ref name=WIRED>{{cite web|last=Glader|first=Paul|title=Khan Academy Competitor? Mike Feerick of ALISON.com Talks About The Future Of Online Education|url=http://www.wiredacademic.com/2011/09/khan-academy-competitor-mike-feerick-of-alison-com-talks-about-future-of-online-education/#sthash.bQYwAbYq.dpuf|work=Wired Academic|publisher=Wired Academic|accessdate=25 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="Information Week">{{cite news|last=Booker|first=Ellis|title=Early MOOC Takes A Different Path|url=http://www.informationweek.co.uk/education/online-learning/early-mooc-takes-a-different-path/240147364|accessdate=25 July 2013|newspaper=Information Week|date=January 30, 2013}}</ref><ref name="NYTIMES">{{cite news|last=Bornstein|first=David|title=Open Education For A Global Economy|url=http://opinionator.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/07/11/open-education-for-a-global-economy/?_r=0|accessdate=25 July 2013|newspaper=New York Times|date=July 11, 2012}}</ref> Its stated objective is to enable people to gain basic education and workplace skills.<ref name=NYTIMES /><ref name=HARVARD>{{cite web|last=Emmons|first=Gary|title=Education Innovation — 5 Bright Ideas|url=http://www.alumni.hbs.edu/bulletin/2013/june/five_bright_ideas.html|work=Harvard Business School Alumni Bulletin|publisher=Harvard Business School|accessdate=25 July 2013}}</ref>  Contrary to other [[MOOC]] providers with close links to American third level insitutions such as [[MIT]] and [[Stanford University]], the majority of ALISON's learners are located in the developing world with the fastest growing number of users in [[India]].<ref name=NEWSDAY>{{cite news|last=Goldmark|first=Peter|title=A Website That Lifts People Up|url=http://www.newsday.com/opinion/oped/goldmark-a-website-that-lifts-people-up-1.3798996|accessdate=25 July 2013|newspaper=Newsday|date=June 22, 2012}}</ref><ref name=IRISHTIMES>{{cite news|last=Holden|first=Louise|title=Special Report — Ashoka 'Change Nation'|accessdate=25 July 2013|newspaper=Irish Times|date=March 21, 2012}}</ref> It records 1.2 million unique visitors per month with 250,000 graduates of its 500+ courses as of January 2013.<ref name="Information Week" />

==History==
[[Mike Feerick]] began his career as 'serial entrepreneur' in the capacity of assistant to billionaire philanthropist [[Chuck Feeney]] and credits him with instilling the awareness that 'money wasn't the most important thing'.<ref name=CONNACHT>{{cite news|last=McNamara|first=Denise|title=The Galwayman with the Midas Touch — and a social conscience|url=http://www.connachttribune.ie/opionion-categories/item/628-the-galwayman-with-the-midas-touch-and-a-social-conscience|accessdate=15 July 2013|newspaper=Connacht Tribune|date=11 June 2013}}</ref> After several managerial and entrepreneurial roles, Feerick cites a 'eureka' moment in 2005, 'observing that the cost of servers and broadband provision was falling while one’s ability to monetise any one page of web-content was going up.'<ref name=WIRED /> He noted that the distribution channels for education had the capacity to change and founded ALISON in 2007 with 'six courses and no students',<ref name=IRISHTIMES />  'before MOOCs got their name,'<ref name=ECONOMIST>{{cite news|title=The Attack Of The MOOCs|url=http://www.economist.com/news/business/21582001-army-new-online-courses-scaring-wits-out-traditional-universities-can-they|accessdate=26 July 2013|newspaper=The Economist|date=July 20, 2013}}</ref>  as a for–profit social enterprise with the objective that education and training be freely accessible online worldwide. Feerick sought to develop a model centred on establishing a sustainable income from advertising which could be reinvested for the optimisation of the strategy driving ALISON: to cater for 'people marginalized from basic education and training, especially those in developing world countries.'<ref name=UnCollege>{{cite web|last=Stephens|first=Dale|title=MOOC with a business model: taking a look at ALISON|url=http://www.uncollege.org/mooc-with-a-business-model-taking-a-look-at-alison/|publisher=UnCollege.org|accessdate=26 July 2013}}</ref> Its focus was targeted at courses that meet the practical skills needs of workers or employers in specific industries at a minimum of certificate level. In addition to English, ALISON's courses have subsequently been translated into French, Spanish, Portuguese, Hebrew, Arabic, Hindi, Urdu, Russian, and Chinese.

==Business Model==
Contrary to celebrated university–centred [[MOOC]] providers based mainly in the USA such as [[Udacity]] and [[Coursera]], ALISON's 'creative model' has been to redirect the large supply of for-profit courses. Their approach and goals are distinct from younger MOOCs,<ref name="Information Week" /> centered instead on the provision of high-quality vocational courses—'practical courses to take into a job.'<ref name=IRISHTIMES /> ALISON invites publishers to put some of their courses on the platform, some who wish do to so for no monetary return, others in turn agree to provide their content for free on ALISON's [http://www.alison.com website] due to the shared revenue gleaned 'mostly from advertising and sales of certificates.'<ref name=NYTIMES /> The model has enabled ALISON to [[bootstrap]] its growth with less than $2 million in capital and reinvest in new 'free to learner offerings' without the ties to corporate investors.<ref name=HINDU>{{cite news|last=Paromita|first=Pain|title=For Wisdom On The Wing: Go For eLearning|url=http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/todays-paper/tp-eworld/for-wisdom-on-the-wing/article1679989.ece|accessdate=26 July 2013|newspaper=The Hindu — Business Line|date=December 3, 2007}}</ref>  According to [[The Economist]], the company seeks to drive education through advertising in the manner of television and radio. Through the online [[pay per click]] advertising revenue model, ALISON has founded a business model whereby 'learners in the developed countries are essentially paying for those in developing countries' while providing the learning materials for free.<ref name=WIRED />

==Courses==
ALISON currently offers over 500 [http://alison.com/course/ courses] across certificate and diploma level in ten languages.<ref name="Information Week" /> The certificate level courses necessitate 1–2 hours study with the more rigorous diploma level offerings requiring 9–11 hours study on the part of the learner.<ref name=NYTIMES /> ALISON note on their website that 'there is no time limit on completing a course, so learners can study entirely at their own pace' and that some of the courses such as the [[Microsoft]] [[Digital Literacy]] Program may take up to 20 hours to complete.<ref name="ALISON HELP 2">{{cite web|title=How Long Do Courses Take to Complete?|url=http://alison.com/knowledgebase/entry/49/|work=ALISON: help|publisher=ALISON|accessdate=30 July 2013}}</ref> One of ALISON's most popular courses [http://alison.com/courses/ABC-IT ABC IT], a 15–20 hour training suite is cited by the [[New York Times]] as 'covering similar ground' to the [[International Computer Driving License]] without the cost of certification.<ref name=NYTIMES />

===By Subject===
{{col-begin}}{{col-3}}
'''A'''
*[[Accounting]]
*[[Anatomy]]
*[[Arabic]]
*Artistic Techniques
'''B'''
*[[Banking]]
*[[British Council]]
'''C'''
*[[Career Development]]
*Childcare Studies
*[[Communication Technology]] 
*Computer Basics
*[[Customer Service]]
'''D'''
*Digital Creative Design
'''E'''
*[[Economics]]
*[[Electrical Engineering]]
*[[Engineering]]
*[[English]]
*Entrepreneurial Skills
*[[Environment]]
'''F'''
*[[Finance]]
*[[French]]
{{col-3}}
'''G'''
*[[Game Development]]
*[[Gardening]]
*[[Geography]]
*[[German]]
'''H'''
*[[Health & Fitness]]
*Health Management
*[[History]]
*[[Human Resources]]
'''I'''
*[[Information Technology]]
*[[Investment]]
*[[Irish]]:
'''L'''
*Law & Legal Skills
'''M'''
*[[Management]]
*[[Manufacturing]]
*Marketing & Sales
*[[Maths]]
*Multimedia Technology
*[[Music]]
'''O'''
*Office Skills
{{col-2}}
'''P'''
*[[Photography]]
*[[Photoshop]]
*[[Physical Education]]
*[[Politics]]
*Presentation Skills
*[[Procurement]]
*[[Product Development]]
*[[Programming]]
*[[Psychology]] 
'''S'''
*[[Science]]
*Security Techniques
*Social Media Techniques
*Social Work Skills
*[[Statistics]]
*[[Study Skills]]
*[[Swedish]]
'''T'''
*Teacher Resources
*[[Tests]]
'''W'''
*[[Web Development]]
*Workplace Safety
{{col-2}}
{{col-end}}

ALISON have targeted some well–known educators such as award-winning multimedia teacher [[Russell Stannard]] now at [[Warwick University]] to provide courses on specific areas of expertise. Stannard delivers their suite of web editing and design courses which according to ALISON, 'explore multimedia applications and examine webpage, animation and graphics editing and design' through formats such as popular image editing software [http://alison.com/courses/Adobe-Photoshop Adobe Photoshop].<ref name=ALISON2>{{cite web|title=New Multimedia Certificate Courses to Develop your Web Development and Design Skills|url=http://alison.com/articles/New-Multimedia-Certificate-Courses-to-Develop-your-Web-Development-and-Design-Skills|work=ALISON: articles|publisher=ALISON|accessdate=29 July 2013}}</ref>

==Format and Testing==
ALISON uses an [[Adobe Flash]] interface to run the interactive multimedia courseware of its publishers and course providers. All materials for the courses are provided therein.<ref name="ALISON HELP">{{cite web|title=Learning on ALISON|url=http://alison.com/knowledgebase/2/|work=ALISON help page|publisher=ALISON|accessdate=30 July 2013}}</ref> The courses offered are self taught and there is no work required for submission. Prior to embarking on a nominal course, a user is provided the learning level with a summary fact sheet displaying 'range of information including minimum age appropriateness, course duration, medium of delivery and estimated education compared with reputed frameworks in the UK ([[NQF]]) and Ireland ([[FETAC]]).'<ref name="ALISON HELP 3">{{cite web|title=How Can I Establish the Level of Education Within Course Before I Begin Them|url=http://alison.com/knowledgebase/entry/70/|work=ALISON: Help|publisher=ALISON|accessdate=30 July 2013}}</ref>  Some courses hosted on ALISON have flash tests and assessments throughout but most feature a test of competency at the end.

===Certification===
To receive certification, a user must complete all modules of an ALISON course and achieve at least 80% in the assessment(s) which may be taken multiple times. On successful completion of all assessment, the user is then eligible to purchase a certificate or diploma as proof of completion. This constitutes an important source of income for ALISON, with offerings ranging in cost from a simple PDF download to a full diploma parchment. [[David Bornstein]] reported that in 2011, 50,000 ALISON graduates purchased certificates or diplomas in this fashion.<ref name=NYTIMES />

===Premium Tools===
Users may opt to pay a premium fee for faster loading times with no advertising.<ref name=NYTIMES />  In addition to individuals, the company has targeted employers, education facilitators, and training professionals to provide courses for groups under their tutelage. As of March 2013, ALISON added an 'ALISON Manager' tool for their premium users to improve group training facilities for teachers, trainers, tutors and HR Managers. According to ALISON, this feature is a means for educators to invigilate and evaluate the learning of students under their tutelage as they progress.<ref name=ALISON3>{{cite web|title=Free Training and Certification Now Available on Smartphone and Tablet Helps Candidates Take Advantage of Growing Job Market|url=http://alison.com/articles/Free-Training-and-Certification-Now-Available-On-Smartphone--Tablet-Helps-Candidates-Take-Advantage|work=ALISON: articles|publisher=ALISON|accessdate=29 July 2013}}</ref> This feature is also targeted at employers who may use it to test the skills of 'certificate-holding ALISON graduates' with a 20-question flash test of their own to assess 'knowledge and expertise' in a certain domain.<ref name=HARVARD />

==Awards and Critical Reception==
[[David Bornstein]] has noted the novelty of ALISON's provision, without cost, of online workplace skills training. Though academic instruction has been made free in the mainstream by innovators such as [[Khan Academy]] and [[Coursera]], Bornstein notes that 'practical skills training is usually expensive.'<ref name=NYTIMES /> He suggests that others in the marketplace such as [[Udemy]] charge for similar services.

Some have argued for the ineffectiveness of the [[MOOC]] model of this kind in delivering real educational impact, highlighting the lack of personal interaction with educators and the high drop-out rate of users with no incentive to commit without any material investment of their own.<ref name=SLATE>{{cite web|last=Rees|first=Jonathan|title=The MOOC Racket|url=http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2013/07/moocs_could_be_disastrous_for_students_and_professors.html|work=Future Tense: The Slate|publisher=The Slate Group|accessdate=29 July 2013}}</ref> As reported in the [[Los Angeles Times]] some high profile [[MOOC]] providers have seen suspension of their offerings in major institutions such as the [[University of San Jose]].<ref name=LATIMES>{{cite news|last=Rivera|first=Carla|title=San Jose State will suspend online courses offered with Udacity|url=http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-san-jose-online-20130718,0,6436405.story|accessdate=29 July 2013|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=July 18, 2013}}</ref>  ALISON's focus of workplace skills however has thus far circumvented direct critique in this manner. The social entrepreneurial credentials of ALISON have been recognised by the [[Ashoka]] foundation in 2010,<ref name=ALISON1>{{cite web|last=Feerick|first=Mike|title=New Learning and Earning Opportunities for 2011|url=http://alison.com/articles/New-Learning-and-Earning-Opportunities-for-2011--ALISON-CEO-Mike-Feerick|work=ALISON: articles|publisher=ALISON|accessdate=29 July 2013}}</ref> and with the receipt of a [[UNESCO]] 'Honourable Mention' award in [[ICT]] by [[Irina Bokova]] and representatives of the the King of [[Bahrain]] at a ceremony at the [[UNESCO King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa Prize]].<ref name=UNESCO>{{cite web|title=Projects in Ireland and the Phillippines receive honourable mentions in ICT in Education prize|url=http://www.unesco.org/new/en/unesco/themes/icts/single-view/news/projects_in_ireland_and_the_phillippines_receive_honourable_mentions_in_ict_in_education_prize/|publisher=UNESCO|accessdate=29 July 2013}}</ref> ALISON was credited in the award citation for 'providing a new world of free online learning opportunities to improve employment flexibility and skills worldwide.'.<ref name=ADVERTISER>{{cite news|title=Galway-based online learning provider wins top UNESCO prize|url=http://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/35436|accessdate=29 July 2013|newspaper=Galway Advertiser|date=January 20, 2011}}</ref> Other sources have noted the 'sustainable' manner of ALISON's operating procedure, [[The Economist]] noting the fact that ALISON generates 'plenty of revenue' on its website while still providing its learning materials of 'mostly vocational education' for free.<ref name=ECONOMIST />

==Vision==
As of March 2013, ALISON announced that their new website interface had been redesigned to be 'readily accessible for learners using smartphones and tablets' as well as conventional computing to expand access of its resources.<ref name=ALISON3 />

==References==
{{reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
* {{Official website|http://www.alison.com|name=ALISON homepage}}
* {{Facebook|AdvanceLearning}}
* {{Twitter|ALISONcourses}}
* {{YouTube|u=AlisonOnlineCourses}}

[[:Category:Educational websites]]
[[:Category:Online education]]
[[:Category:Entrepreneurship]]
[[:Category:Organizations established in 2007]]