This article describes an action research project in which the members of a basic English class for adults over 50 at a Colombian public university undertook the mission of discovering their potentialities as autonomous learners. By means of the reflective use of the language portfolio, the members of this course guided the planning and execution stages of the course they were enrolled in. The findings show that learners’ reflection may be convenient when designing a course that better fits the characteristics, needs, and expectations of the students so that the they can profit more from the course itself.