Undergraduate and graduate students in courses designed to introduce research techniques in exercise physiology were provided the novel opportunity through project-based learning (PjBL) to utilize a prototype device to measure energy expenditure (EE). This report summarizes how EE measurements were incorporated via PjBL into course-required experiments and determined perceived understanding of exercise and metabolism. Undergraduate experiments included measurement of EE following high intensity cycling preceded by a motivating yell, and EE after upper-body and lower-body exercise performed at simulated altitude. Graduate experiments included evaluation of the EE cost of skipping, and EE during longboard skateboarding. Undergraduate students perceived greater increases in competencies while graduate students seized the opportunity to design more creative experiments that pushed the boundaries of their education.