Clive Shepard, in his article, In Search of the Perfect e-Learner, explores the possibility that some people are better suited to e-learning than others. IT literacy, access to high-quality networks and hardware, a desire to think over responses, and different social needs may all contribute to e-learning success.

Different people sign up for classes for different reasons. Even the same person may want something different when it's a different topic or they're in a different stage of life. Sometimes skimming a topic gives the learner everything they're looking for. Sometimes deep immersion, lots of discussion and frequent testing are called for.

Tools that are useful in broadening the appeal of e-learning: dialogue, tutoring, regular assessment, a 'live' instructor.