Local athlete making strides with new online learning platform

In parallel to the strides he continues to make as a track and field athlete, Tullamore Harriers AC member, Aaron Keane is trending in a similar manner as CEO of Leaving Cert Plus, a new app which he has devised for Leaving Certificate students.

The fruition of a three-year process came in February of this year when the app had its multi-device "soft launch" and, almost ten months later, the number of students using Leaving Cert Plus continues to grow.

Leaving Cert Plus is a subscription-based online learning platform and app that provides study resources, created by experienced teachers, for 20 subjects. The app offers a variety of study materials, such as video tutorials, H1-standard notes, flashcards, audio lessons, and quizzes, to help students prepare for their Leaving Certificate exams. It allows students to study at their own pace, with resources available on all subjects and designed for easy, on-the-go access.

A student of medicine at University of Galway, Aaron decided to call time out momentarily on his studies and focus on the development of the app, the idea for which came to him while travelling in Canada.

Referencing his background in athletics, the Rosemount native said he is solely accountable when training to compete at major championships, and he believes a similar scenario applies when students are studying for their Leaving Certificate.

“When I was studying for my Junior Cert exams, I set out a personal revision plan and worked relentlessly to achieve my goals. Similarly, with the Leaving Certificate, I was driven and determined to achieve and, thankfully, my goals were achieved,” Aaron said. The son of Geraldine and David Keane, Aaron said the learning process was particularly intensive with no room for “half measures”. Thinking “outside the box” when training with the Irish athletics squad at the age of 17, he would listen to self-composed audio files as he prepared for his Leaving Certificate.

“I was able to take control of the way in which I studied for the Leaving Certificate. I found it more beneficial to have the information in audio and bitesize format, and it paid dividends,” Aaron added.

As he began his third-level education, Aaron started to tutor Leaving Cert students, incorporating his own study mechanisms into the teaching process.

“If this learning process worked for me, I believed that it might also work for the students I was tutoring. For me, learning is more than what happens in the classroom. So, I compiled bitesize videos and audio files for students as a study tool for the students. Thankfully, the feedback was great and it gave me the idea for what Leaving Cert Plus has now become.”

Aaron, who is hoping to secure a place in the Ireland squad for the 2026 European Athletics Championships in Birmingham (he was named on both the men’s 4x400m and mixed relay squads that participated at May's World Athletics Relays in China), acknowledged that the majority of students when spending time on their social media accounts are captured by information delivered in a “short and snappy” format. This view also fed into his thought process for devising the Leaving Cert Plus app.

“The thought was to devise a high-quality resource pack that students could easily access, delivering on how I believe the modern student wants to learn,” Aaron stated.

While he acknowledged that the app may not be for everyone, feedback he has received since the soft launch in February has enabled him to further improve the app with the necessary resources to help students prepare for their Leaving Certificate exams.

“Five or ten years ago, it wasn't deemed ‘cool’ to study for your Leaving Cert, but there’s been a gradual shift away from that thinking. Our app allows students to study on the go as opposed to solely relying on classroom learning,” he added.

Aaron has been working in partnership with renowned Irish education publishers CJ Fallon, who have raised the content quality of the app to an “exceptional” standard.

“To be associated with a brand with such credibility can only be a positive for our app and the funding received from CJ Fallon has allowed us to offer a better service to the students who use Leaving Cert Plus. The working relationship has been extremely beneficial,” Aaron said.

The app covers all subjects on the syllabus. Students can opt to purchase all seven subjects for which they are studying, on the subscription service, at a cost of €799 for the academic year. Alternatively, they can choose to purchase one subject for the academic year, at a cost of €300.

“We cover all subjects on the Leaving Certificate syllabus and our users are growing county by county,” Aaron stated.

Reflecting on his entrepreneurial journey to date, Aaron said his Leaving Cert Plus app aim was to offer a service which “ticked two boxes”.

“Firstly, I wanted to develop a learning platform that was easy to navigate, and secondly the quality of education content needed to be exceptional. With a growth in user numbers, I believe this has been achieved, but it has taken a lot of dedicated work to reach this stage of the process,” Aaron concluded.

Readers of the Westmeath Independent can avail of a €50 discount on the Leaving Cert Plus app if they use the code WESTMEATH50.