Dalhousie University

At its fundamental level, engineering is problem solving. An engineer must have problem solving abilities with some level of expertise. However, gaining these skills is challenging since design is often viewed as more of an art than science. This paper investigates the cognitive aspects of design expertise. We conclude that expertise relies on knowledge of the basic principles and the application of this theory. Examining the differences between expert and novice problem solving highlights this. Fundamental to the differences in problem solving ability and strategies is the level of sophistication, appropriateness, and completeness of their mental representations of the problem. 1