Valuing the adult learner in e‐learning: part two – insights from four companies

Purpose – To investigate how the adult learner is valued in e‐learning corporate settings.Design/methodology/approach – Case study methodology was used for this research. Four Fortune 500 companies that had active e‐learning initiatives for a minimum of four years were selected. Data for the development of the four cases were collected via semi‐structured telephone interviews. The questions that guided data collection and case development are: what is the e‐learning context in your organization?; How is the adult learner valued in the e‐learning environment?; What considerations must be addressed when valuing the adult learner in e‐learning environments within corporate settings?Findings – Four case studies emerged from data collection and revealed that adult learners are being valued and supported in corporate e‐learning settings. A comparative analysis of the case studies with the Waight and Stewart conceptual model showed that the e‐learning teams are complying with all factors for the exception of tra...