Prompt-to-Primal Teaching

Abstract: This paper introduces Prompt-to-Primal (P2P) Teaching, an AI-integrated instructional approach that links prompt-driven exploration with first-principles reasoning, guided and moderated by the instructor within the classroom setting. In P2P teaching, student-generated AI prompts serve as entry points for inquiry and initial discussions in class, while the instructor guides learners to validate, challenge, and reconstruct AI responses through fundamental physical and mathematical laws. The approach encourages self-reflective development, critical evaluation of AI outputs, and conceptual foundational knowledge of the core engineering principles. A LLM can be a highly effective tool for those who already possess foundational knowledge of a subject; however, it may also mislead students who lack sufficient background in the subject matter. Results from two student cohorts across different semesters suggest the pedagogical effectiveness of the P2P teaching framework in enhancing both AI literacy and engineering reasoning.