{"id":11349,"date":"2019-05-28T06:24:09","date_gmt":"2019-05-28T10:24:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.elearninginside.com\/?p=11349"},"modified":"2019-05-21T17:42:00","modified_gmt":"2019-05-21T21:42:00","slug":"corporate-microlearning-in-2019","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.elearninginside.com\/corporate-microlearning-in-2019\/","title":{"rendered":"Corporate Microlearning in 2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

Among the most-read articles on this site last year were two articles about microlearning, including Microlearning Essentials: The What and Why<\/a> and Corporate Microlearning Examples: Real-World Case Studies<\/a>. This article is presented to interested readers in order to provide a corporate microlearning update for 2019.<\/p>\n

Corporate Microlearning: More than Buzzword<\/strong><\/h2>\n

According to the Association of Talent Development (ATD) It appears microlearning has moved beyond the \u201cpassing trend\u201d phase<\/a> to settle into a bona fide method through which more and more corporate learning occurs. Microlearning has become more than a buzzword because it\u2019s incredibly effective. One of the reasons it works so well is because it opens up the possibility of just-in-time learning.<\/p>\n

The \u201cjust-in-time\u201d (JIT) concept first became known as it was applied in manufacturing in Japan, and specifically in Toyota\u2019s production system (which also morphed into \u201clean\u201d manufacturing). Then JIT is applied more generally to all kinds of inventory management to reduce the cost of keeping any more inventory around than what is needed. Companies figure out how to keep on hand only what they need in a relatively short timeframe, with more inventory delivered when they know it is needed. Applying this concept to learning makes a lot of sense \u2013 learn what you need right when you know you need it in a bite-sized bit of learning content with which you can engage in a matter of minutes. This can be especially useful in last-minute meeting preparations.<\/p>\n

The Purchase of the Microlearning Pioneer<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Grovo, founded in 2010, has been widely recognized as a pioneer of microlearning through its software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform. In fact, Grovo managed to trademark \u201cmicrolearning\u201d<\/a> back in 2017 \u2013 a move that didn\u2019t sit well with many corporate learning companies who were already using the word as a generic term for bite-sized learning. But Grovo argued that there\u2019s more to microlearning than just serving up small chunks of content. The company claimed its trademarking of the term was a way to elevate the conversation and make sure people had a more robust concept in mind than might otherwise be the case. Will the company pursue legal action against those who use the term in a way that doesn\u2019t live up to the Grovo standard? That remains to be seen, but first Grovo has to demonstrate exclusive use of the term for five years<\/a>. Meanwhile, other companies can use the word without crediting Grovo. The only thing that is really protected is Grovo\u2019s specific microlearning services.<\/p>\n

The role of Grovo as a microlearning pioneer was further solidified when it was purchased at the end of 2018 by cloud-based learning and talent management solution provider Cornerstone OnDemand. Cornerstone paid $24 million in cash<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The 2018 Benchmark Report<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Grovo isn\u2019t the only microlearning leader. Axonify is another leading microlearning platform founded in 2011, just a year later than Grovo. But Axonify is the company that has taken the time to produce \u201c\u2026the first and only comprehensive analysis of what microlearning looks like in terms of general trends, adoption, demographics and industry applications\u201d according to its 2018 Microlearning Global Benchmark Report<\/a>. Here are some interesting highlights from the report about microlearning:<\/p>\n