Beyond the Classroom: Learning Through Real-World Research in PeaceHub: Global Mediation Dataset

Joining a VIP: Vertically Integrated Project

This semester I have had the pleasure of joining the PeaceHub: Global Mediation Dataset as a part of the University of St Andrews Vertically Integrated Projects (VIP) modules. I’m now part of a small team of students researching conflict dynamics and peace-making efforts in Mali. The other teams include researching conflict and mediation in South Sudan and a student who is working on computational and visualisation tasks. One of the first things I noticed was how different a VIP feels to traditional modules that I have taken over the course of my last three years at St Andrews.

VIP modules are part of ongoing research projects led by an academic supervisor and made up of a team of students from multiple levels of study (i.e. the ‘vertical’ aspect). This VIP module runs parallel to a project called ‘Global Fragmentation and Conflict Management’ that works to build the Mediation Event and Negotiators Database (MEND) and is led by our supervisor Dr. Peter. It involves researchers at St Andrews and the University of Edinburgh, many of whom join us at our weekly VIP meetings. MEND is part of a wider collaborative effort between universities across the United Kingdom, local partners in conflict-affected countries and the UK Government within the PeaceRep consortium. The MEND database is designed to transform qualitative data on mediation efforts into more comprehensive quantitative data for further research, which is underdeveloped in studies of war. The database consists of not only successful legal peace agreements but encompasses a much broader mediation landscape including failed attempts, parallel negotiations, and mappings of the network of actors involved in shaping the various outcomes. Our two teams are contributing small pieces of a larger puzzle being built over multiple years by the MEND team, while also doing our own group projects on our various countries.

Contributing to peace data through teamwork

From my discussions with my peers, and my own experience, it is clear how underdeveloped the data on peace is compared to that on war and conflict, and the scope of the impact of the project is something that students connect with immediately. Not often do students have a chance to contribute to what they are learning and as Samvit Nagpal (Class of 2026), put it, “the output of the module would actually be very tangible and have a useful real-world impact”. This tangibility is fundamental in all VIP modules offered at the University, but particularly impactful when our contributions feed directly into a dataset that researchers and practitioners will continue to use to make real world change.

As I joined the VIP module in the second semester, my peer’s familiarity with our tasks was a huge advantage to me, but even still the system was not something that I had anticipated. Unlike my prior coursework where I was often drawing on and adding to analysis from established researchers, a lot of our work involves piecing together the data. As Nagpal, a computer science student, reflects “I thought it would be more a case of ‘we have data and we need you to present it nicely’ but it was more of ‘we need a better system for data entry and collection”. I share the same sentiment being on a country-focused team. Usually opportunities in academia, specifically in social sciences and humanities, to conduct research are reserved for post-graduate or full-time researchers who have dedicated their studies to one specific subject. Insider access that allows us to understand the process in which data is produced provides a tremendous opportunity for many undergraduate students. Even more so, contributing to the data makes this experience unlike the didactic classroom work that we are accustomed to.

From classroom learning to real-world research practice

As I recognized on my first day in the VIP module, datasets are not just academic tools but actively shape policy and practices. As Leah Rose (Class of 2028), put it, “before this VIP, I hadn’t fully appreciated how research outputs like databases could have practical applications beyond academia”. Experiencing this VIP has acutely demonstrated how knowledge that underlies good policy is built, structured, and used. It also demonstrates how important testable and accurate data is to create the best policy that can be put into practice. Building good datasets, ones that are useful in research and practice, takes a lot of time and interdisciplinary expertise. You need good concepts, definitions and subject knowledge, but also technical expertise to clean this data and present it in accessible ways.

Another initial surprise was the variety of subjects that my peers were studying in the module, which made it feel more like a real-world context where teams of people with different expertise weigh in to develop the best policy or response. This is how the broader MEND team also operates and our module mimics situations that feel much closer to a professional environment, emphasizing teamwork in ways that are often lacking in undergraduate university settings. Decisions are not made in isolation, but through discussion and negotiation, requiring self-advocacy and articulation of complex thoughts in a work-like setting. The VIP module highlights how as Zoe Gudino (Class of 2026) states “working in a group means coordinating tasks, comparing interpretations, and learning from each other’s perspectives”.  Interpretation of qualitative data often lacks a right answer, and coding decisions are not always clear-cut, forcing us to draw collaborative conclusions that we might not always be comfortable with on our own. I would add that through this VIP, we have the opportunity to work closely with different sets of qualitative data, often using analytical skills for categorization or according to Gudino, “working with complex qualitative data, paying attention to detail, and thinking critically about how information is interpreted and categorized”. This collaborative dynamic is one of the clearest ways I have seen the VIP differ from other modules. Like my peers, I have noticed a real difference in how it feels from lecture-based learning.

In contrast to more passive forms of engagement that often come from large class sizes and various different lecturers, the VIP requires active participation, Gudino continues, “in the VIP, you are expected to participate and contribute,” which creates “a different dynamic compared to large lectures, where it’s easy to stay quiet and blend into the background”. There is an accountability aspect as well derived equally from the sense of purpose—not just to the module but to the team and the project.  The work for the module is continuous and doesn’t end when it is turned in, deepening our sense that this is something being built and curated, and is a work in progress.

Engaging with the wider research community

Beyond the immediate work of the dataset and our group projects, the VIP creates opportunities that extend into the wider academic and professional worlds. Just recently the team had the opportunity to attend and support the PeaceRep conference at the University of Edinburgh. As stated by Rose, “attending a conference in Edinburgh was particularly exciting, as it allowed me to engage with other PeaceRep researchers and practitioners who had unique and fascinating backgrounds”. Students on the VIP also wrote a report summarising the conference. Experiences like this reinforce the sense that the VIP is not just a module, but an opportunity for an entry into the broader research community, a way to create new networks of colleagues and the development of real-world skills in a university setting.

I have found through my own experience and talking with my peers that this VIP module shifts our educational experience thus far from absorbing knowledge to contributing to it. As Rose describes “[the module is] more collaborative and hands-on than a typical module,” with work that feels “more relevant and continuous” allowing students to take away more than just the technical, analytical, and interpersonal skills gained, reframing what academic work can look like. I have found that even at an undergraduate level it is possible to be part of research that has real implications allowing me to contribute meaningfully to something larger than a single course and reinforcing my purpose for pursuing academia.

Further reading

Explore MEND: Mediation Event and Negotiators Database