Initiated by CityU Apps Lab (CAL), Ambassador School Program (ASP) aims to provide support to ambassador secondary schools and primary schools by forming an environment conducive for coding and IT education.
The program connects a partner secondary school with one primary school through the theme of future development, forming a cluster that helps effective knowledge transfer. University students under CAL will be assigned to facilitate coding workshop and coding groups in ambassador schools. Students will benefit from the workshop materials, meanwhile improving their problem solving skills and innovation awareness. The close relationship among CAL and ambassador schools enables effective teaching materials to be prepared according to different levels and aspects so as to improve the students’ learning experience. This eventually enhances the promotion of coding culture throughout all ages, typically in primary and secondary schools.

The Kick-off Ceremony of Ambassador School Program (ASP) was successfully held on 15 January 2016 (Friday). With the eager participation of our partner organizations including Cyberport, Lenovo, Microsoft, and 26 schools, the ceremony had marked the beginning of the coding journey of many young talents!

“Our society has good equipment and materials to facilitate learning through technology. What is essential now is to foster and encourage more passionate people to dedicate themselves to the IT field,” said Dr. Ray Cheung, the Director of CityU Apps Lab (CAL) and Associate Professor of Department of Electronic Engineering. The motive of ASP is to start the process of nurturing new bloods in early age. The partnerships between primary and secondary schools can effectively help youngster to work on their ideas.

Besides, Prof. Linda Li, the Associate Provost (Strategic Planning) of CityU and Professor of Department of Public Policy, added that the university attaches high importance on interdisciplinary co-operation by supporting students from diverse academic major backgrounds to take part in the program. She highlighted that the bonds formed throughout the process would allow new generations to make outstanding scientific achievements together.

As the special guest of the ceremony, Hon Lam Woon-kwong, GBS, JP, also gave words of encouragement. “The education landscape is undergoing an incredible transformation over the past two decades,” he expressed. He was glad to witness the revolution of the learning process via technology, which served to enhance experience and foster a dynamic environment for the future generation. He believed that the program will have a conspicuous success with the excellent performance of all participants.

The ceremony was also jointly officiated by Mr. Herman Lam, the CEO of Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, Mr. Alex Chung, the General Manager of Lenovo (Hong Kong) Limited, and Ms. Joelle Woo, the Director of Business Development & Developer Experience of Microsoft Hong Kong Limited. They expressed their vision for new technology and future innovations and placed emphasis on the demand of youth workforce to meet the needs of the rapidly evolving technology sector. They were confident that ASP participants who devote their time and efforts to equip themselves with the necessary skill sets will be well prepared for future jobs.

With the aim to infuse coding culture among primary and secondary schools, the “Award Scheme” for ASP was introduced by Cyberport, laying the coding foundation and encouraging continuous improvement in teenagers. Young talents who had gone through three stages: starter coder, advanced coder and master coder, will be given opportunities not just to involve in computational thinking activities and attend essential skills building training, but also to take part in international coding competitions and projects. Apart from gaining recognitions and awards, the most rewarding earnings will be the experience and skills learned which are beneficial for their higher education or work.

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▲ Coding Workshops at Pui Ching Primary School from September to November 2015.

 

▲ Exhibition in IT Week of HKBUAS Wong Kam Fai Secondary and Primary School from late-November to early-Dec 2015.

For more photos of ASP, please click here.