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This study describes the collaborative learning experiences of a community college professor and her students in an information technology course. Peters and Armstrong’s (1998) 'Types of teaching and learning' model served as a framework, and Peters’ (1998) approach to action research was used as the principal method of inquiry. Phenomenological and semistructured interviews, field notes, and researcher journal entries were analysed according to ethnographic methods of Spradley (1980) and Hatch (2002). The inductive analysis surfaced four themes that describe the participants’ experience with learning how to learn software applications. The addition of collaborative learning to the course design enhanced students’ learning experience and led to changes in the instructor’s practice. Implications for other college instructors who teach information technology courses are discussed, as are suggestions for employing action research in the college classroom.