Structured AI Demonstrations and Student LLM Use in Engineering Mechanics: Study Design and Preliminary Results

Abstract

The rapid integration of large language models (LLMs) into undergraduate education presents an urgent challenge for engineering instructors. Despite widespread student adoption, there remains a critical lack of domain-specific empirical evidence to guide pedagogical policies and classroom interventions. This manuscript presents a descriptive study design and preliminary findings from an undergraduate engineering mechanics course conducted in Spring 2026. We detail a reproducible survey instrument used to capture student AI usage patterns, attitudes, and verification practices, which are subsequently linked to academic performance metrics. Additionally, we document a deployable sequence of nine structured, instructor-led AI demonstrations designed to model strategic LLM delegation and evaluation. While our preliminary data highlight shifting student behaviors and complex relationships between AI reliance and course outcomes, the primary contribution of this work is the provision of an open-access methodological framework. By making our complete study design, survey tools, and demonstration materials publicly available, we urge other engineering educators to collect and share similar empirical data. Navigating this unprecedented technological shift will require a collaborative, evidence-based approach to fully understand its long-term impacts on student learning.