Contributions: This study examined the effectiveness of making activities in fostering the competency development of school-age children engaged in a making program. The findings suggest that community-based makerspaces can provide autonomous and informal learning experiences, facilitating their competence development. When integrated with formal learning in schools, these experiences can facilitate a well-rounded education that nurtures 21st century skills in the younger generation. Background: The making program, hosted by community youth centers in Hong Kong, comprised a series of five workshops. These workshops provided guidance throughout the creative processes, encouraging participants to invent artefacts under the theme of “smart design for living.” Research Questions: What generic skills and other attributes can school-age children develop through making activities? What factors influence their development of generic skills and other attributes? What disparities emerged between their community-based and school-based making experiences? Methodology: The study utilized a mixed-method approach, encompassing of a pre- and post-test questionnaire survey involving school-age children who took part in the making workshops ([Formula Omitted] 232), as well as semi-structured interviews with a subset of the participants ([Formula Omitted] 25). Findings: Survey results revealed significant enhancements in participants’ information technology skills, communication skills and divergent thinking, along with a favorable acceptance of the making tools. Pertinent topics related to competency development, including age-related effects, computer accessibility, and mobile device ownership, were examined and discussed within the context of the study. Copyright ©2024 The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE).

Contributions: The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)-Jockey Club AI for the Future Project (AI4Future) co-created the first pretertiary AI curriculum at the secondary school level for Hong Kong and evaluated its efficacy. This study added to the AI education community by introducing a new AI curriculum framework. The preposttest multifactors evaluation about students’ perceptions of AI learning confirmed that the curriculum is effective in promoting AI learning. The teachers also confirmed the co-creation process enhanced their capacity to implement AI education. Background: AI4Future is a cross-sector project that engages five major partners—CUHK’s Faculty of Engineering and Faculty of Education, secondary schools, Hong Kong government, and AI industry. A team of 14 professors collaborated with 17 principals and teachers from six secondary schools to co-create the curriculum. Research Questions: Would the curriculum significantly improve the student perceived competence, attitude, and motivation toward AI learning? How does the co-creation process benefit the implementation of the curriculum? Methodology: The participants were 335 students and eight teachers from the secondary schools. This study adopted a mix-method with quantitative data measures at pre- and post-questionnaires and qualitative data emphasizes teachers’ perspectives on the co-creation process. Paired [Formula Omitted]-tests and ANCOVAs, and thematic analysis were used to analyze the data. Findings: 1) students perceived greater competence and developed a more positive attitude to learn AI and 2) the co-creation process enhanced teachers’ knowledge in AI, as well as fostered teachers’ autonomy in bringing the subject matter into their classrooms. Copyright © 2022 The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE).