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As a Lecturer and academic specialising in banking and finance, I deliver courses in the School of Banking and Finance at ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ Business School. My background is in finance research, and I am in my third year as a full-time education-focused academic and Lecturer. As part of this role, I teach the postgraduate course FINS5530 Financial Institution Management. In 2023, I transformed this course with the ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ Sandbox Program, an initiative of the ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ Business School. 

Before I ran a Sandbox Course, my experience with industry-engaged learning was limited. I’d had guest lecturers from industry come in for a lecture, but this is very much a standard practice.

I had also collaborated with external companies to provide simulation software, allowing my finance and banking students to ‘run a bank’ in groups. These simulations offered some real-world application, as student teams were assessed on their bank's performance, team competition and real-time performance analysis. 

Up until 2023, I had focused primarily on my teaching responsibilities as an academic, which included extensive work on course and curriculum development and delivery. I had limited opportunities for deeper industry engagement. Despite these constraints, I recognised the immense value that real-world industry insights could bring to education. To enhance my teaching, I wanted to bring more practical insights into the classroom and have increased engagement with industry professionals. Not only would this mean I could personally learn from their experiences, but I also wanted to integrate their insights into my course content more effectively. This would benefit my students by providing a richer, more applicable learning environment. 

I also wanted to help my students see the practical application of their theoretical knowledge. While I can communicate this as an academic, the message becomes far more impactful and motivational when delivered by someone from the industry. 

So, I attended the End of Year event of the ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ Sandbox Program, where different Lecturers showed how they had used the ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ Sandbox Program to transform their own courses. After hearing the positive feedback from the industry partners who were present, and learning how the ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ Sandbox Program could benefit my students and my own professional development, I decided to use it to transform my course FINS5530 Financial Institution Management into a Sandbox Course. 

My process of working with industry partners to create and run a successful Sandbox Course was as follows:  

With the immense support and the facilitation of the ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ Sandbox Program team, specifically the program director Associate Professor Yenni Tim, and deputy director Associate Professor Kevin Liu, I connected with industry partners to discuss the objectives of my course, and what I aimed to teach my students. In return, the industry partners produced a list of Sandbox problems or questions they wanted my students to solve. I then chose the one that fit the existing course curriculum the best.

Yenni and Kevin provided me with extensive supporting resources to help me smoothly reshape my course to integrate these industry problems. For example, the traditional group assignment was redesigned as a scaffolded group assignment, where students would work in teams on the same solution. This model placed greater emphasis on the importance of teamwork, which has always been a struggle to impart effectively to students.

The redesigned model allowed me to design multiple milestone tasks. Students completed different tasks step by step, each building on the previous one, to help them develop a more refined final solution for the industry partner. This structure made it easier for the industry partner to provide feedback, as they could just focus on one single type of challenge across multiple milestones. This enabled them to give more nuanced feedback to students at various stages. The students took this feedback very seriously and used it to improve their solutions. 

This collaboration with industry partners, along with the substantial support from the ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ Sandbox Program team, particularly Yenni and Kevin, resulted in a more impactful learning experience for myself, my students, and the industry partners. In addition to the overwhelmingly positive feedback from students who took this Sandbox Course, I’ve also received follow-up emails from some of them. They informed me that they have since secured an internship and attributed their success in part to learning so much from my Sandbox Course through the ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ Sandbox Program. 

As an early career academic running a Sandbox Course for the first time, I faced many challenges and learning curves. Firstly, I learned a lot of new things. For example, how would I enable students to use the needed technology? How could I best support student teams? How should I work with industry partners, given my lack of experience in the real-life industry? 

At the outset, I needed - and was given - assistance from the ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ Sandbox team to navigate these challenges. There was lots of support in setting up my Sandbox Course, and I was provided with templates for various aspects of the transformation: from how to reshape assignments and set up students, to how to email industry partners, set up meetings with them and remind them to provide feedback. 

While these elements took time to get used to, I learned so much and the students’ feedback was so positive that it was all worth it. I no longer worry about engaging with industry professionals and now feel more trained and confident to engage with them further. When potential industry partners approach me, I feel much more relaxed talking with them. 

Another learning was the importance of balancing expectations and maintaining open communications between myself, the industry partner, and the students. There is always an element of uncertainty from and between the three groups, especially when engaging with different industry partners. This uncertainty is particularly important for academics and students to reconcile. Initially, I was worried that the students might not find a solution to the Sandbox challenge we gave them. However, I quickly realised that this Sandbox challenge is a ‘real world problem’. Even professionals don’t have ready answers at the outset - which is why Sandbox Courses are so engaging. 

This realisation emphasised that, as an academic, I am not obligated to provide students with solutions for everything. Students will discover that there is not just one answer to a problem. The industry partners also gain valuable experience in collaborating on the education of students and are often inspired by the innovative ideas students bring to the table. In this regard, taking part in a Sandbox Course is a learning exercise for all three groups. 

Today, the learnings I took away from teaching a Sandbox Course have led me to redesign elements of my other courses. My group assignments now all follow milestone tasks. By replicating successful elements from the ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ Sandbox Course, I have enriched my other courses. This experience has shifted my perspective, making me more aware of the importance of students gaining industry insights. But it is not just about how much I give the students. It is about how much they take away and how much they apply in the industry. 

I received lots of support from my peers who had previously done a Sandbox Course, which greatly contributed to the successful learning experience for myself and my students. In return, I would like to offer the following words of support and advice to early career academics considering transforming their course into a Sandbox Course: 

I would recommend picking a course you are most familiar with to transform into a Sandbox Course. While some academics prefer to pick a newer course that is struggling to achieve success, choosing a course you know well minimises the moving parts when you are starting out. 

I would not recommend picking a course where you have little control over the assessment structure or one that has lots of exams. I would also not recommend transforming a course that is elementary, conceptual, or model-heavy. These types of courses have limited space or benefit for the practical insights of a Sandbox Course, as the project probably won’t contribute to your key objectives. Instead, choose a course where the integration of industry problems will enhance the learning experience and align with your educational goals. 

Be prepared to spend a significant amount of time communicating with students and the industry partner. This preparation is necessary, especially for the first time. But from the administration side, you will become more efficient when you are familiar with the process. It would also help if you could secure a Teaching Assistant who is familiar with the Sandbox Course or time from the ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ Sandbox Program team to help you manage these aspects. 

Most importantly, if you are thinking about using the ̽»¨ÏµÁÐ Sandbox Program to achieve your course objectives (and your course fits the above criteria), just go ahead and do it! As an individual, you will learn a great deal - particularly if you are going into it with limited industry experience. For myself, I found the whole experience fulfilling. It made me rethink my teaching and I now have a more varied perspective on both education and relevant industries. 

In the end, if you feel more confident and the feedback from your students has been positive, then your Sandbox Course has been a success.