Strategies for embedding simulation in open-ended engineering design education

A tension exists between the open-ended nature of project-based education and the skill gap that educators need to overcome so that learners extract value from simulation in engineering design.
Solutions to current global challenges will require disruptive innovation and engineers that can creatively dissect complex systems. The next generation of engineers will likely not be able to solve these challenges with off-the-shelf solutions, and it follows that instructors will not be able to accurately predict the solutions that they will conceive and develop. This uncertainty presents significant challenges for the design of learning activities and assessment that involve simulation-driven development around open-ended design challenges.