Dive Brief:
- The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded Grovo, a learning solutions firm, with the exclusive right to 'Microlearning®' as a trademark. The term had been used in the HR tech community as shorthand for a model of cognitive science learning based on short intervals and user-friendly tech.
- In a concurrent announcement, Grovo announced the hiring of its first chief learning officer, Summer Salomonsen. CEO Steven Carpenter said Salomonsen will lead the company's team of learning experience designers and specialists in expanding Grovo's microlearning library.
- Grovo's goal is to make microlearning central to every organization's learning strategy to foster employee engagement and development, says Carpenter.
Dive Insight:
Used as a generic term, microlearning is defined as e-learning presented in small, narrowly focused, user-friendly segments. The term grew to refer to employees' capability to absorb information for on-the-job development and improved performance. That it has now been trademarked signals the value the term has in the growing marketplace.
According to a 2016 Bersin by Deloitte Future of Corporate Learning report, millennials value e-learning more than any other benefit, including flexible work schedules and cash bonuses. It's likely the trend will continue.
One area of e-learning will need a serious boost: cybersecurity training. According to a study by the Information Systems Security Association (ISSA) and Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), 70% of businesses surveyed said the cybersecurity skills shortage will affect them, but 62% admit failing to train enough professionals in the field. Employers will need to reverse such statistics to protect their systems from current and future attacks.
