It is synthesized that advance organizers (AOs)--an effective orienting device in traditional classroom instruction--may enhance students' information literacy in self-directed online classes. The current study investigated 2 types of advance organizers, graphic and text, in a fully Web-based undergraduate course of health care ethics. Both the short-term and long term effects were examined. Although the results failed to find a statistically significant difference regarding learning performance among treatment groups and the control group, additional qualitative data indicated that students held overwhelmingly positive attitudes toward using AOs, especially the graphic AOs, in online learning. The analyses and results of this study added new empirical evidence for the use of AOs in Web-based distance education and posited new directions for further research. (Contains 4 tables and 1 figure.)