Laboratory learning has been the focus of significant creativity for educators. Engaging students in "real world" contexts or using their knowledge in laboratory exercises in a meaningful way requires that students are engaged in the practice of science. The role of decision-making around this practice of science, say for the analysis of the sustainability or social consequences of that science, can be structured as the application of engineering practices. To provide a coherent definition of how to elicit students' use of knowledge, we turn to three-dimensional learning (3DL) and its previous applications in laboratory learning. Specifically, we extend the three-dimensional learning assessment protocol (3D-LAP) to reliably detect three distinct engineering practices: defining problems, evaluating solutions, and designing solutions. This analysis was then used to compare two second-year organic laboratory curricula: one verification or "cookbook" style and one project-based.