Novice

A novice describes a stage of the cognitive learning process. It is followed by the expert stage. It is characterized by familiarity with subject knowledge but lacks deep understanding of concepts. They perform poorly when problem solving, relying on the surface features of the problem at hand. They do not utilize strategies, therefore. Unlike experts, who can separate complex problems into manageable pieces, novices generally attempt to solve problems in an unsystematic way.

Taken from:

Schunk, Dale. (2008) //Learning Theories: An Educational Perspective.// Upper Saddle River: Pearson Merril Prentice Hall. 206-207.