Judgement is ubiquitous in engineering work but the demand for the exercise of good judgement is particularly evident in engineering design. Every advance, or change of direction, in the design process is the result of the designer's judgement. But the notion of judgement is somewhat elusive. What is it? How can we know whether a judgement is good or bad? Can judgement be taught and if so when and how? This paper attempts to answer at least in part these questions. It draws on the work of Sir Geoffrey Vickers, seeking to adapt and relate his ideas on judgement to engineering design. It constructs a framework for design in which judgements are made in three knowledge domains; the formative, the commercial and the instrumental. It then considers the efficacy of contemporary academe and industry in developing the capacity for judgement in the neophyte engineer. It concludes with a broad strategy for teaching design in engineering courses.
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