Learner-centered and learner-driven pedagogy have long been advocated by many educators and scholars who focus on sustainable education. This study proposes a pedagogical approach called collaborative learning by teaching (CLBT), which is both learner-centered and learner-driven. This study aims to explore and analyze the student perceptions of CLBT by conducting a field experiment in a Chinese public university. The quantitative results show that student perceptions were comprised of three dimensions: perceptions of CLBT, perceptions of teamwork, and perceptions of mobile learning. The male students had significantly more positive perceptions of CLBT and mobile learning compared to the female students. The qualitative findings indicate that although students have some difficulties with self-discipline, they gain much in active learning capabilities and teamwork skills. The relationship between CLBT and sustainability competence should be further studied in the future.