AIRIS: a three-phase framework for cognitively activated AI augmentation in physics instruction

Design · All designs
Evidence · no claims cited

Description

AIRIS (Activate – Inquire – Reflect with Intelligent Support) is a three-phase instructional framework that structures student activities before, during, and after AI use in science education. It is not tied to a specific tool and focuses on when and how AI enters the learning process. The authors state: "We propose a simple but powerful three- phase instructional framework for AI -augmented science education that structures student activities before, during, and after AI use". It draws on self-regulated learning, cognitive load, multiple representations, and hybrid intelligence research.

Design Implications

Context

Requirements

• Requires prior direct instruction establishing the conceptual knowledge students need for meaningful Phase 1 predictions
• Requires teachers able to design tasks that resist AI completion and evaluate AI outputs in their domain

Constraints

• Presented as a design proposal grounded in established learning science principles, not as an empirically validated intervention
• Designed for inquiry-based instruction and problem-solving settings; does not replace direct instruction

Target Learners

• introductory physics students

Learning Goals

• epistemic practices of physics: predicting, evaluating evidence, coordinating representations

Claims

Related Designs

Examples

• Shard elevator acceleration task — smartphone acceleration data from an elevator ride, analysed through the AIRIS steps

Key Sources

• Jochen Kuhn, Stefan Küchemann, David J. Rakestraw, & Patrik Vogt. (2026). It's Not the Tool, It's the Task: A Framework for Cognitively Activated AI Augmentation in Physics Instruction.

Page metadata

Field	Value
type	design
id	airis-framework-cognitively-activated-ai-augmentation
title	AIRIS: a three-phase framework for cognitively activated AI augmentation in physics instruction
description	AIRIS (Activate – Inquire – Reflect with Intelligent Support) is a three-phase instructional framework that structures student activities before, during, and after AI use in science education.
status	review
generated	by process:settle-candidates on 2026-10-10
trust	unverified — no one has confirmed this page's content
sources	1 — jochen-kuhn-2026

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