Computers can play a useful role in the teaching of engineering subjects. This paper describes the approach used with final year Bachelor of Engineering students to develop intuitive insights between the mathematics used in heat transfer analysis and the problem being solved. Examples are provided of how assignments are used to develop intuitive insights between the mathematical aspects of heat transfer analysis and the physical problems being solved. A description is included of a computer program HETRA (HEat TRansfer Analysis) that was developed to facilitate the acquiring of this understanding by students as they progress through their assignments. The approach does not seek to discard any of the traditional aids to learning. Rather it is a computer based course in heat transfer in which the role of the computer is to reinforce the student's grasp of the underlying physics of a situation and so help them to build up their engineering judgement.
