Incorporating National Incident Management System training and exercise principles into homeland security and emergency management learning can help university students develop emergency response capabilities through practical application of knowledge in simulated incidents. In addition, they gain team-building and leadership skills, establish relationships with professionals that will carry forward into their careers, and obtain confidence in their abilities to respond under pressure to simulated critical incidents. This case study describes student experience in disaster relief and humanitarian service exercises in the United States, Kosovo, and the Former Yugoslavian Republic of Macedonia. The DEAL approach to critical thinking is used to provide student feedback concerning the use of exercises as an applied-learning tool.