Every attempt to teach or learn occurs in the context of what the learner already knows. This project investigates how the use of learning plans (constructed through instructor and student collaboration) facilitated learning. These plans were used as a means to identify previous knowledge and to motivate students to reflect on their own learning process. During fall semester 2004, 30 undergraduate students developed learning plans in the undergraduate course, "Training Systems in Business and Industry". Results suggest that learning plans facilitate learning by focusing students on the goals of the course. At the end of the semester, students evaluated the use of learning plans. Data imply that learning plans were helpful to their learning process and promoted deep learning.