E-Learning provides a potentially powerful tool for implementing educational requirements rooted in learning theories. But still, much of the development of e-Learning is carried out without a true understanding of how learning theories can be translated into pedagogical requirements that can be implemented using learning technologies. This is because e-Learning lacks a systematic approach to the development process, resulting in poor requirements analysis and pedagogical design. This paper argues for a systematic system development approach to e-Learning to translate educational requirements into a system that supports effective learning.