FAQs
Course Questions
Which course to choose, how the formats differ, and what each subject covers. The rules and figures in these answers are drafts until aali's team confirms them.
I do not know which course to choose. Where do I start?
Start with the subject that matches the decision on your desk. If it is a team, begin with Leading People from Day One; if it is numbers, begin with Read the Numbers: Accounting Basics. Or request information, tell us about your work, and we will suggest a course.
What is the difference between a cohort course and an on-demand one?
A cohort course starts on a set date and you move through it with the same group, with a weekly discussion. An on-demand course starts the day you enrol and you set your own pace within the access period. A sprint is a short on-demand course of a few hours.
What is the difference between a course and a programme?
A course is one subject taught over a few weeks. A programme bundles three to six related courses at a package price you can pay in instalments (draft), and you earn a completion certificate for each course. The draft catalogue has three programmes.
How much time does a course take each week?
Each full course, meaning not a sprint, asks for four to seven hours a week (draft) over five to eight weeks, and each course page gives its own weeks and hours. On-demand courses give 90 days of access (draft), and a sprint gives 30 days.
Which language are the courses taught in?
aali is Arabic first with English beside it. The draft plan is teaching in Arabic, with case readings in English where the case is published in English. If a course uses one language only, its page will say so before you enrol (draft).
I have an idea but no company yet. Which course suits me?
Start: From Idea to First Customers is for you: you test the idea at low cost and win a first customer. Launching a Technology Venture fits better once you know your product and plan to build a team and raise funding. Both sit in Entrepreneurship & Innovation.
Do the marketing courses cover advertising tools on the platforms?
They teach the thinking behind every channel: who the customer is, what you promise and how you measure. You work with channels such as search, social and email, but tools change fast, so we teach the method and leave tool screens to each platform's own help pages.
I am a new manager. Is there a course for me?
Yes. Leading People from Day One and Managing a Team That Delivers are written for people in their first years of managing. Take them in that order, or pick the one that fits your biggest worry today. Add Negotiating to Agreement when deals are on your desk.
Are the strategy courses only for senior executives?
No. Strategy in a Crowded Market and From Plan to Results use company cases, but their questions suit a team lead, a founder or a department head: where to compete, how to win, how to follow through. Competing Globally from the Gulf adds the view from regional companies.
I have no finance background. Can I take the finance courses?
Yes. Read the Numbers: Accounting Basics assumes no prior knowledge and is the gentlest start. Finance for Non-Financial Leaders then covers budgets, cost and return. Valuing a Business is the most demanding, so take it after one of the other two.
Do I need to code for the digital and AI courses?
No. AI for Decision Makers and Data to Decisions are for people who read analyses and make decisions, not for people who write code. The AI Skills Sprint is a five-hour course to start using AI in your work this week.
What do the business-in-society courses cover?
They cover purpose, ethics and sustainable investing on real cases: how to measure impact, what to do when interest and principle clash, and how investors weigh climate and society. They suit anyone who decides how a company behaves, not only sustainability officers.