This document is intended to introduce health occupations educators to the principles of the portable action lab and help them use those principles to create quality learning projects for students preparing for careers in health care. Section 1 outlines the concepts and frameworks of quality project-based learning, which is based on the following core elements: authenticity; academic rigor; applied learning; active exploration; adult relationships; and assessment. The structural elements of project-based learning (group size; method for arriving at project structures and topics; duration; and integration of subjects) are discussed along with the concept of scaffolding, which is a process for building the support needed by students to complete high-quality projects. Section 2 examines the following steps in planning student projects: (1) defining a central question or concept; (2) reaching out to community members; (3) designing classroom and community activities; and (4) developing assessment mechanisms. Section 3 presents summaries and analyses of six student projects based on the principle of the action learning lab. Each project description contains the following elements: background information; implementation guidelines; and a brief analysis of the project's incorporation of the principles of quality project-based learning and scaffolding. The bibliography lists 17 recommended publications. A project analysis template is appended. (MN)