The Sandbox is an innovative experiential-learning program that partners multiple Faculty of Arts & Science instructors and their students with the same external organization to create multifaceted solutions for real-world challenges while fostering multidisciplinary skills and connections.
When you join The Sandbox, your students can apply their knowledge and collaborate across disciplines, while you build connections with industry partners and peers across A&S — and the globe, thanks to the program's role in the Global Sandbox Alliance.
How The Sandbox Works
Join (or create) a partnership
Sandbox partnerships begin in one of two ways:
1. Organizations join the program, and the Sandbox team pairs them with Arts & Science instructors.
2. Instructors suggest a partnership or project through their existing relationship with a business or community organization.
Refine the challenge
Organizations identify a persistent problem in need of a creative solution.
Instructors work with the Sandbox team and partner organization to develop a corresponding project for students that meets course goals.
Collaborate across disciplines
Multiple A&S courses address the same problem, allowing students from different subject areas to propose solutions from their distinct lenses.
Instructors and partners support students through project check-ins, while the Sandbox team provides pedagogical and partnership support every step of the way.
Wrap up the collaboration
The project ends with students sharing their insights, typically via a showcase event.
But the collaboration doesn't have to end there. Partnerships often lead to ongoing relationships between instructors and organizations, allowing the collaboration to continue in future courses.
Benefits
By joining The Sandbox, you can:
- Participate in innovative, multidisciplinary course delivery that enhances student learning
- Develop relationships with community and industry professionals whose project proposals align with your course goals
- Apply expertise in your research area or topic of study to address societal or industry challenges
- Receive full pedagogical and partnership support from project inception to delivery and evaluation
- Forge global connections and partnerships via The Sandbox's participation in the Global Sandbox Alliance
Commitment
To ensure a successful collaboration, you will need to:
- Identify a course that could support a Sandbox project
- Connect with the Sandbox team three to four months prior to course start for project scoping and fine-tuning
- Participate in project check-ins that include periodic consultation with Sandbox staff and the partner organization
- Engage in project wrap-up and evaluation, with the possibility of ongoing partner engagement with the course
Case Study: Toronto District School Board
The Toronto District School Board’s Active Transportation unit needed to raise awareness of the benefits of walking and biking to school as a healthier and more eco-friendly alternative to vehicles and school buses.
- Analytical environmental chemistry students collected air quality and road dust samples from school sites.
- Geography web mapping students created live, GIS web maps of school neighbourhood walking routes.
- Writing and rhetoric students used these outputs to create infographics and social media reels highlighting the benefits of active travel.
"I learned how to apply GIS analysis tools to help benefit society and the environment, which is something I want to do in my career."
— Geography student
Get Started
For more information or to get started, please contact Christine Ovcaric, Experiential Learning Coordinator, Sandbox Program, at christine.ovcaric@utoronto.ca.
About the Global Sandbox Alliance
The University of Toronto is a member of the Global Sandbox Alliance, a network of institutions offering The Sandbox model. Originating in Australia at the University of New South Wales, this global network will foster productive, lasting partnerships, leveraging global expertise and resources to support the member universities’ research, education and social engagement activities.