This document is intended to help high school vocational-technical teachers design courses that result in high-quality learning for all their students. The book's seven chapters detail this process for designing courses that achieve the following results: model the concept of quality; produce independent learners; develop active participants in the learning process; address real problems in life and the workplace; confront students' shortcomings and show them how to improve; present challenging assignments requiring hard work in and out of the classroom; actively involve students in productive learning throughout the class period; require student teamwork with teachers serving as coaches rather than as the source of knowledge; and prepare youth for work and further education beyond high school. Chapters 1-7 discuss the following topics: (1) the need for change; (2) a new vision of quality vocational-technical education; (3) the vocational-technical program of study; (4) the issues involved in designing a course (content as a function of expectations of career areas; providing a focus for learning; teachers as managers of instruction; communities as learning labs; continuous assessment); (5) planning and setting course goals; (6) projects and instructional strategies; and (7) assessment. The following items are appended: course syllabus guidelines; a sample course syllabus; national skill standards; and project outlines. (MN)