Dive Brief:

• For $75 million, Pluralsight acquired Smarterer, a Boston-based startup that uses crowdsourced assessments to evaluate students' understanding of tech tools and skills.
• This is the fifth deal in the past 15 months for Pluralsight, a provider of "hardcore developer and IT training."
• Pluralsight CEO Aaron Skonnard told EdSurge that this deal is different, as it  represents “a shift in our acquisition strategy from content to expanding the capabilities of our platform.”

Dive Insight:

According to EdSurge, Pluralsight currently boasts 6,500 customers — including Fortune 500 Companies — and many of them want to know ways "to measure where people are with their skillsets.” The company ultimately aims to address skills and knowledge gaps with its offerings, particularly with the current focus on STEM skills.

In April 2014, Pluralsight acquired Digital Tutors for $45 million. Prior to that, it acquired Tekpub in October 2013, TrainSignal in August 2013, and PeepCode in July 2013.