In recent years, China has been issuing artificial intelligence (AI) education policies to promote the deep integration between AI and education. Setting AI courses at the basic education phase can cultivate students’ AI literacy and enhance the country’s science and technology competitiveness in the future. However, due to shortages of AI teachers and inadequate conditions for practice, the current AI courses in primary and secondary schools are not enough in effectiveness. In light of current problems, this study, based on the foundation of university-enterprise cooperation, integrates the “competition and education” mechanism into informal AI course design and practice. Using a design-based research paradigm, the study proposes the design framework from four dimensions: goals, themes and content, methods and steps, and evaluation, and then further refines the framework through two rounds of iterations, to provide a reference for the development and practice of AI courses.