Building Confidence Through LEGO® Serious Play
UNSW Sydney is one of Australia’s leading research and teaching universities, with a strong commitment to student success, equity, and employability outcomes.
Recognising the importance of building confidence and capability early in the student journey, UNSW invests in initiatives that support first-year students to thrive in collaborative and professional environments, particularly those who may benefit from additional support in developing these skills.
To support this goal, UNSW partnered with MCI Solutions to deliver a LEGO® Serious Play workshop, designed to help students strengthen teamwork, communication, and self-awareness through an engaging, hands-on learning experience.
The challenge
Many first-year students enter university with strong academic potential but without the confidence and practical frameworks needed to fully engage in group settings.
They often experience challenges in:
- Communicating their ideas clearly
- Participating actively in team discussions
- Identifying and articulating their strengths
For students with limited exposure to professional or collaborative environments, it can also be unclear which skills are expected, and how to begin developing them. This creates a barrier to engaging effectively in opportunities that require teamwork, initiative, and leadership.
The solution
MCI delivered a LEGO® Serious Play workshop designed to build these capabilities through an experiential, student-centred approach.
Using structured, hands-on activities, the workshop enabled participants to:
- Practise expressing ideas with clarity and confidence
- Engage in collaborative problem-solving
- Reflect on their individual strengths and contributions
Core concepts such as teamwork, communication, and project thinking were introduced in a practical and accessible way, helping translate abstract skills into real behaviours.
The two-hour format was intentionally designed to maximise engagement for first-year students, providing a high-impact, low-pressure introduction to these skills while ensuring immediate relevance to their university experience.
The results
The workshop achieved strong outcomes, with an overall participant rating of 4.5/5.
Students reported measurable improvements in both confidence and capability:
100% better understood the strengths they bring to a team
100% better understood how they can contribute effectively
100% felt more confident working in team settings
100% could recognise and leverage others’ strengths
100% felt confident applying these skills beyond the workshop
100% were able to apply their learning directly to university group work
These results demonstrate the workshop’s effectiveness in equipping students with practical, transferable skills that support both academic success and future employability.
Find out more
Explore how LEGO® Serious Play can support your organisation.