A pressing issue for educators is the difficulty in fostering engagement and vesting students in courses. A new pedagogical model labeled Collaborative Course Development (CCD) has evolved as a viable solution. CCD not only allows students to be actively involved in initial course design but also empowers them to make decisions about class structure throughout the term. The purpose of this work is to explain the theoretical background of CCD, outline its effective use, and detail six specific practices for implementation. The article concludes with research-worthy propositions as well as preliminary findings and a brief discussion of potential challenges.