Great Success for the Lego Holiday Course at UniDistance Suisse

The holiday course was fully booked within a very short time and proved to be a great success. The aim was to make a complex subject like programming accessible and engaging through play. The 18 participating children, aged 8 to 12, worked in pairs and explored the world of robotics together.

Under the guidance of Dr Patricia Heckendorn and her two sons, Jan (13) and Noé (10), a motivating and collaborative learning environment was created. The young participants built robots out of Lego and programmed them using laptops provided by UniDistance Switzerland. With great curiosity and enthusiasm, the children worked on creating individual commands for their robots. When something didn’t work at first, they revised and improved their code independently – a hands-on and lively approach to problem-solving and technical thinking.

Feedback was consistently positive. “I think it’s really cool and the technology is amazing,” said young participant Tim Zurwerra with excitement.

“We were impressed by how fascinated and motivaed the children were, and by how quickly they achieved results,” said Vanessa Hugo, Head of Services and Alumni at UniDistance Suisse, who organised the workshop. The main goal was to spark the children’s interest in technology and IT, and to demonstrate how quickly they can experience a sense of achievement. At the end of the five-day event, a small diploma ceremony was held—just as it should be at a university.

The workshop also attracted considerable media attention. A television crew was on site, and several radio stations and newspapers covered the course. “We are delighted that this holiday workshop was so popular with the children and that they came up with so many creative ideas. In order to continue promoting lifelong and intergenerational learning at FernUni Switzerland, we will keep offering exciting and innovative events,” concluded Vanessa Hugo.

Watch the TV report by Canal 9 “Ferienkurs: Kinder bauen und programmieren Lego-Roboter”