STAIRS — The Ladder
A framework for responsible AI use by students.
Published 2026-04-18. CC BY-SA 4.0.

1. UNDERSTAND.
Can you explain the task and the reasoning it is testing?
If you cannot, AI will not help you — it will hide your confusion.

2. ATTEMPT.
Do the thinking yourself first.
Even a rough attempt changes how you use AI afterward — from "do this for me" to "critique what I did."

3. AUGMENT.
Use AI to check, challenge, explain, or extend your thinking.
This is where AI genuinely helps you learn.

4. OWN.
Be able to defend every idea in your work, in your own words, without the AI open.
If you cannot explain why a sentence is there, it should not be there.