What Are the 5 eLearning Models Used Today?
Discover the five core eLearning models used today-ADDIE, SAM, Bloom’s Taxonomy, Gagne’s Nine Events, and ARCS-and learn how to choose the right one for your course design needs.
Online Learning Models: How They Work and Which Ones Actually Help
When we talk about online learning models, structured ways of delivering education over the internet, often combining video, quizzes, and interaction. Also known as digital education, these models range from simple video libraries to full virtual classrooms that mimic real schools. They’re not all the same—some feel like watching YouTube, others feel like being in a real classroom with a teacher watching your progress.
Not every eLearning platform, a system designed to host and manage online courses, often with tracking and assignment tools. Also known as learning management system, it helps teachers assign work and students track deadlines. works for everyone. Google Classroom, for example, is free and simple, used by thousands of Indian schools to send assignments and hold video calls. But it doesn’t teach you how to speak English fluently—that’s where tools like Duolingo come in, using gamified lessons to build habits, not deep understanding. Meanwhile, platforms offering full NEET or JEE prep courses use live sessions, doubt-clearing chats, and timed mocks to simulate real exam pressure. These are different online learning models—one builds routine, another builds exam readiness.
What makes one model stick and another fail? It’s not the tech—it’s the design. A good virtual classroom, an online space where students and teachers interact in real time with video, audio, and shared screens. Also known as live online learning, it requires structure, timing, and accountability. feels like you’re in a room with others who care. You’re called on. You’re expected to show up. You get feedback. That’s missing in self-paced apps. And that’s why some students crash after a month of Duolingo while others crush NEET with structured coaching. The difference isn’t intelligence—it’s the model. One gives you a path. The other gives you a toy.
India’s education scene is full of these models now. Some schools switched from Google because of privacy fears. Others ditched expensive platforms for free tools. Some students use YouTube for physics, apps for vocabulary, and WhatsApp groups for doubt-solving—all at once. There’s no single right way. But there are smart ways. Below, you’ll find real stories from students and teachers who’ve tried these models, failed, adapted, and succeeded. No fluff. Just what actually worked—and what didn’t.