This study investigated whether students' approaches to learning were influenced by the design of university courses. Pre- and post-evaluations of the approaches to learning of the same group of students concurrently enrolled in a conventional course (lectures and tutorials) and an action learning-based course (project work, learning groups) were conducted. Students who reported themselves as more "typically deep" in their approach to learning were consistent in their approaches across the different environments. However, students who reported themselves as more "typically surface" were influenced to adopt deeper processing strategies in the action learning design. Students explained this "deep shift" in terms of the greater expectations of learner activity and responsibility in the action learning design.