Aerospace Engineering Commons^™

Open-Ended Problem-Solving Skills In Thermal-Fluids Engineering, Nikos J. Mourtos, N. Dejong-Okamoto, J. Rhee

Nikos J. Mourtos

Problem-solving skills have always been important in many professions. However, ABET EC 2000 recently placed a new focus on these skills in engineering education with outcome 3e, which states that engineering graduates must have an ability to identify, formulate and solve engineering problems. Problem-solving is defined as a process used to obtain a best answer to an unknown or a decision that is subject to some constraints. Problem-solving is not the same as textbook exercise solving, which is very common in engineering curricula. In the article, the authors first define engineering problem-solving and, in particular, what it means to identify …