Simulation thinking: Where design and analysis meet

Design and analysis have historically been viewed as opposites. However, design and analysis are closely related activities which involve similar types of thinking. This work examines the similarities and differences in cognition and education for design and numerical simulation. The educational pedagogy and educational outcomes of a first year design program and a graduate level finite element analysis course are discussed, and a list of characteristics and cognitive abilities of a good simulator — dubbed "simulation thinking" — is presented.