Every mechanical engineering student and many other engineering students take an introductory course in solid mechanics. The use of both force and moment equilibrium concepts on free bodies are basic to all mechanics problems. Yet, there remain challenges with student learning of concepts and skills associated with typical basic mechanics problems. The hypothesis of this investigation is that academic history may not be a good predictor of a student's ability to learn basic mechanics concepts and acquire problem solving skills, but rather analysis process contributes significantly to student learning. Several specific ideas focusing on bolstering student's learning of concepts will be explored and implemented in this work, which include: i) the development of a concept guide for mechanics covered in Introduction to Solid Mechanics, ii) concept reinforcement by students in small groups, iii) utilization of the concept guide for homework assignments and examinations, and iv) the use of models for visualization and retention of concepts. We will evaluate the success of this investigation by looking at student outcome focusing on the learning and retention of core mechanics concepts. The outcome from this study will be valuable to consider the type of skills that our engineering students should acquire and build from these earlier core coursework.