Science education is criticized because it often fails to support problem-solving skills in students. Instead, the instructional methods primarily emphasize didactic models that fail to engage students and reveal how the material can be applied to solve real problems. To overcome these limitations, this study asked participants in a general ecology course to operate an advanced environmental instrumentation (GC/MS), collect pollution samples, complete data analysis, develop an environmental assessment, and proffer a remediation plan for a local river during an ill-structured task. Students were then given a novel task to assess their transfer skills. The study specifically examined student attitudes, effectiveness, and outcomes toward the integration of laboratories into a science course. Results found that students rated their level of instrumentation confidence as low, but showed statistically significant differences on transfer task scores. Implications for research are discussed.