The teaching of undergraduate ecology courses increasingly utilizes modern instrumentation. The effective use of instrumentation can both provide an effective learning environment and prepare our students for future careers in ecology. However, utilizing instrumentation can be challenging in the undergraduate teaching environment. This session is a collection of talks describing strategies and case studies in which various types of ecologically related instrumentation have been integrated into undergraduate education. We focus on both the challenges we have encountered and outline strategies that have been effective. The session uses gas exchange, gene sequencing, and other types of ecologically relevant equipment as case studies illustrating how equipment can effectively be used as active learning tools in the undergraduate setting. The speakers in this session have instructional experience ranging from large tier-one research universities to small liberal arts colleges. The overarching focus of the session will be to provide meaningful suggestions for instrument integration into undergraduate education.