Taking courses on the Internet is an increasingly popular way for teachers to develop new skills and knowledge. Planning and teaching these courses involves new ways for museums and other cultural organizations to interact with their constituencies.

In Spring 1999, the Getty Education Institute offered Artworlds Online, an online professional development course focused on Los Angeles-centered lesson plans and activities that it had developed. (The course is archived online at http://www.artsednet.getty.edu/ArtsEdNet/Resources/Worlds/Prof/Artworlds/index.html

The Getty structured the lessons to use the simplest possible technology given teachers' resources and capabilities on the Web. This paper presents lessons learned, assessment of the course evaluation and issues raised in the development and implementation of the course.