An analysis of college students' perceptions of learner-centered educational practices can help instructors to develop strategies for making a successful transformation to learner-centered education. Approximately 45 freshman and sophomore students enrolled in a college composition course or an introductory humanities course at a Midwestern university in 2005-2006 received a presentation on the learner-centered paradigm that would form the basis of class activities. They subsequently reported their perceptions of learner-centered educational practices. Students in the composition course wrote their goals for the course during the first class session, their initial perceptions mid-semester, and during the final class session, their assessment of how the learner-centered practices facilitated their goals. The humanities students wrote their expectations of the course and the instructor during the first class session and, during the final class session, their perceptions of how the learner-centered practices aligned with their expectations. While the transition for many students was initially unsettling and even intimidating, the students' progress toward learner-centered thinking was evident. In taking greater responsibility for their own learning, students reported satisfaction as they became more active and engaged. The process of becoming educated, self-directed, autonomous members of society demands that students develop active learning, a primary purpose of the learner-centered paradigm.