What can instructional and information designers learn about structuring self-study asynchronous e-learning courses from museum exhibit designers who design free-choice learning environments? This paper suggests several lessons.

Specifically, it reports on the results of a critical study of the structure of 50 museum exhibition plans, which classifies the structures into 5 categories and identifies the strengths and weaknesses of each. Then it transfers the lessons to the structuring of self-study asynchronous e-learning tutorials and other types of practical, web-based materials.