In traditional education, the teacher is responsible for the students' learning. The teacher lectures to the students who take notes and then regurgitate the material for examinations to earn grades and diplomas. This type of learning situation may not be appropriate in a community college, where many students are adults who bring life skills and increased reasoning ability to the classroom. In such a situation, it may be appropriate for students to assume responsibility for their own education. One method of switching the responsibility of learning from the teacher to the students is called "guided design," a method developed by Dr. Charles E. Wales at the Center for Guided Design, West Virginia University. Guided design is a problem-solving process that uses small group techniques and a prepared outline of problem-solving steps to guide the groups' efforts. Any problem used in guided design must be open-ended and have more than one correct solution, must stimulate group interaction, and should be challenging enough to force the students to use resources beyond what are available in the classroom. The guided design approach was used in a course in Petroleum Technology at Casper College in Wyoming with a class of 80 students. Despite some problems caused by the diversity of backgrounds of the learners and the tendency of some groups to be monopolized by one or two individuals, the approach was successful and resulted in students learning more than could have been accomplished in a traditional classroom setting. Guided design is an educational alternative that can bring the spirit of freedom back into the classroom, help motivate students into self-discovery, and develop their reasoning skills. (KC)