Is it Rocket Science or Brain Science? Developing an Instrument to Measure "Engineering Intuition"

This theory paper describes the conceptual framework behind the on-going development of a survey-style instrument to assess “engineering intuition.” With the prevalence of computer-aided problem-solving in the modern engineering workplace, it is becoming increasingly essential for professional engineers to be able to quickly and accurately assess the results from simulation or problem-solving software. Subsequently, they need to be able to estimate or predict the outcomes from the software, in addition to responding to real-time events on the job. We characterize this ability to assess and/or predict outcomes as a key feature of “engineering intuition,” a highly desirable but vague and abstract essential engineering skill. Well-developed engineering intuition can have the potential to lead to greater efficiency and innovation in engineering, as well as mitigate adverse events. Engineering intuition should be a highly sought-after professional engineering skill, yet it is not explicitly taught within engineering curricula. Here we present the theory behind the on-going development of our instrument, including the importance of intuition in development of discipline-specific expertise, specific significance of engineering intuition in the modern workforce, hypotheses regarding related constructs, and assessment of responses to intuition-engaging engineering problems. We also describe the future intentions of this project, including validity and reliability testing of the instrument and subsequent application studies.