Roger Austin and Beverley McCormick from the School of Education in Coleraine have undertaken a research project with two local primary schools, into ‘Using Lego to Build the Town of the Future’.
This LEGO project is now celebrating its third birthday, with pupils from Millburn Primary School and St Malachy’s Primary School working together in mixed teams to design and then build their town of the future, at an event held on 23 June 2025.
Although the core focus of the project remains the same, each year takes a different theme. This year, there was a further focus on the online work in this blended learning partnership by introducing teachers and pupils to AI tools in Adobe to help them improve their design for sustainable homes, adding another new dimension to the project.
Feedback from the teachers confirmed that AI helped the pupils with their designs and gave them greater confidence in sharing their designs with other members of the team, a core part of collaborative learning in shared education.
The use of LEGO for building a town together helps build relationships between the pupils from both schools and remains an entirely original and unique way of using this resource.
Reflecting on the impact of the project, in its third year, Beverley McCormick, Lecturer in Education (Primary Specialism), said:
“Now in its third year, the Lego project continues to demonstrate the powerful impact of sustained collaboration between the two participating schools and Ulster University.
“Teachers from both schools, working closely with colleagues from the School of Education, have played a central role - not only in shaping the activity but in modelling respectful, cross-community partnerships for their pupils."
Nicole O'Connor, UK Education Community Lead, Adobe Express for Education, said:
"It's always exciting to witness learning brought to life in truly captivating ways. You'd be hard-pressed to find a project more engaging than collaborating with friends to tackle real-world problems by translating imaginative drawings into LEGO creations after generating impressive images with AI tools in Adobe Express. We definitely need more Generative AI applications like this; where the technology is appropriately and safely blended with critical thinking, collaboration and creativity across a variety of mediums."
Derek Harkness, School Support Officer with the Controlled Schools’ Support Council, commented:
“This project stands out as a powerful example of how innovative tools like LEGO and Generative AI can be harnessed to foster collaboration, creativity, and community cohesion. The concept of reimagining Coleraine provides pupils from both schools with a locally focused project that not only enhances relevance but also sparks genuine interest and engagement. By bringing together pupils from different community backgrounds, the project has not only enhanced educational outcomes but also nurtured mutual understanding and respect across communities.
“The integration of LEGO as a hands-on tool has proven to be an excellent mechanism for engagement, allowing pupils to solve problems collaboratively, build meaningful connections with each other as well as provide creative solutions.
“Ulster University’s commitment to innovation and social impact through this project is very commendable and sets a benchmark for future educational initiatives in Northern Ireland and the UK.”
The Education Authority Shared Education team continues to work in collaboration with Ulster University in researching Shared Education partnerships.
Jason Arbuckle, Shared Education, School Development Officer, Education Authority, said:
“It has been a pleasure to watch the interaction and growth between these two wonderful Shared Education partnership schools. The leadership and enthusiasm from both teachers are a credit to the leadership and communities they work in.
“The guidance and direction from the Ulster University via Beverly McCormick and Roger Austin allows for a real openness of dialogue that continues to shine a spotlight on the continuing and valuable cross community work.”
Find out more:
For more information on the research project, visit Case Study: The Role of Lego Bricks in Supporting Community Cohesion.
The School of Education is currently focused on the following project: Blended Learning and the Contact Hypothesis: Insights from Israel and Northern Ireland.
If you have any further questions concerning the project, contact Beverley McCormick by email to b.mccormick@ulster.ac.uk.
