Sponsors: Paloma Gay Blasco, School of Philosophy, Anthropology, and Film

Student eligibility: This project is open to all, but would be especially attractive to students from Social Anthropology, and those with an interest in education and student voice.

Project description:

A toolkit for tutors.

Graduate attributes:

Students will develop Diversity attributes that emphasise effective team contribution and interpersonal skills, and those related to leadership and negotiation. Emphasis will be put on reaching consensus and learning to work well together. Bringing together different kinds of data into one single output will help students develop creativity and problem-solving.

Sponsor: Isla Tabberer, School of Medicine

Student eligibility: Open to all, but would be especially attractive to students studying medicine. 

Project description:

The University of St Andrews and NHS Fife are forging a new strategic partnership, bolstered by development of a new medicine degree programme, St Andrews MBChB (ScotCOM). The new programme contains all the required elements of a medical degree, preparing students for their future career as a doctor, in the same way as all other UK medical degrees. Unlike many medical degree programmes the School of Medicine and partner health care teaching sites are not geographically co-located, therefore where students may choose to live and how they might travel during the clinical years of the programme, is as yet unknown; beyond the current student preference of staying close to St Andrews for the pre-clinical years. The STEP project team will explore this topic and produce a report of findings and reflections, to inform future decision making in development of the new medicine programme.

Project outputs:

Intended outputs: By the end of this project, STEP students will have explored the requirements of the new St Andrews MBChB (ScotCOM) and possible medicine student behaviours, producing:

1) A Report of Findings, including: background, assessment of current situation, reflections, recommendations and future opportunities.
2) Presentation to sponsor team.

Graduate attributes:

Build a range of graduate attributes and skills, particularly:
o Entrepreneurial mindset: Research skills and problem solving; Recognition of opportunities - Identifying potential ways to make new and different kinds of value. Generating ideas for future work. Making connections between unrelated ideas. Visualising future possibilities.
o Leadership skills: Organisation - Ability to plan and complete a task or manage a project: identifying goals, prioritising, handling workload, implementing a strategy. Ability to manage time and deadlines and cope under pressure: learning reliability, self-motivation and dependability in delivering punctually, multi-tasking, tolerating stress, anticipating pinch points and organising appropriately.
o Valuing diversity: Interpersonal skills; Effective team contribution - Managing tasks cooperatively to achieve collective goals through open communication and mutual support and accountability
o Commercial and business awareness: Understanding market context, how organisations work, sector pressures, and client needs.
o Social responsibility: Environmental sustainability

Sponsor: Dr Kirsty Ross, School of Computer Science, Dr Kristen Treen, School of English, Dr Clare Fisher, School of English

Student eligibility: This project is open to all, but would be especially attractive to students from the USA, and students interested in American history.

Project description: 

Wikipedia and her sister projects, such as Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons, and Wiki Voyage, are constantly evolving open knowledge projects. They are an incomplete record of all human knowledge and so contain many knowledge gaps. The School of English Monuments project aims to document all Civil War monuments throughout the United States of America and globally. However, this dataset is currently incomplete. This project will focus on plugging knowledge gaps and undertaking research to identify additional sources to enhance the dataset, including the use of historical archives. We anticipate that this project will be of particular interest to our American undergraduates who may be able to visit monuments near their home locations, in which case photography of local monuments and research in local libraries could be included.

Project outputs:

By the end of the project, all students will be trained Wiki editors. The students will have enhanced at least one Wikidata page per monument per week; they may do many more. Should they want to take their research one step further, students would have the opportunity to contribute material to the project website as well.

Graduate attributes:

Social responsibility: civic engagement and local and global good citizenship.
Valuing diversity: effective team contribution, interpersonal skills, and influencing and negotiation
Entrepreneurial mindset: creativity, confidence and adaptability, research skills and problem solving
Leadership skills: self-awareness and reflection, organisation, resilience, and leading others.
Global outlook: networking, digital literacy, written communication, and technical and specialist academic skills and disciplinary knowledge.

Sponsor: Dr Kirsty Ross, Computer Science, Dr Pauline Souleau, Modern Languages

Student eligibility: This project is open to all, but would be especially attractive to students from Medicine and students interested in editing Wikipedia. Knowledge of an additional language will be required - please indicate this on your application form.

Project description:

Social responsibility: civic engagement and global good citizenship.
Valuing diversity: effective team contribution, interpersonal skills, influencing and negotiation
Entrepreneurial mindset: creativity, confidence and adaptability, research skills and problem solving
Leadership skills: self-awareness and reflection, organisation, resilience, and leading others.
Global outlook: networking, digital literacy, written communication, and technical and specialist academic skills and disciplinary knowledge.

Sponsors: Lenia Kouneni, Art History and Neha Gopinath, Business school

Student eligibility: This project is open to all, but would be especially attractive to students interested in accessibility and inclusivity.

Project description:

This project aims to explore, capture, and elevate student perspectives on inclusivity at the University of St Andrews. Recognising that students are central to shaping an inclusive academic and social environment, the project will create a platform for diverse student voices to share their lived experiences, reflections, and ideas for change. Using creative qualitative methods the project will identify both barriers to and enablers of inclusivity across campus life. Insights gathered will inform recommendations for policy and practice, co-developed with students, to foster a more equitable and welcoming community. The project also seeks to amplify underrepresented voices, with a focus on intersectionality, and ensure that inclusivity efforts are student-informed, actionable, and sustainable. Outcomes will be shared through visual and digital media to inspire ongoing dialogue and institutional commitment.

Project outputs:

Report and posters.

Graduate attributes:

Independent qualitative research skills
Interviewing and communicating with key stakeholders
Analysing data and using evidence to develop shared resources that can be used across the University
Creativity and innovation: devising and creating a multimedia output that gives voice to student experiences of inclusivity, and that can be used across Schools and disciplines.

Sponsors: Joshua Crofts, Careers Centre

Student eligibility: This project is open to all, but would be especially attractive to students interested in contributing to long-term change at the University.

Project description:

A report outlining

1. proposals for marketing our existing services more effectively and
2. proposals for alternative services we could offer.

Sample materials could be provided to help illustrate or exemplify these proposals.

Graduate attributes:

Commercial and business awareness
Digital literacy
Written communication
Organisation
Creativity
Research skills and problem solving
Recognition of opportunities
Diversity awareness
Effective team contribution

Sponsor: Heather Curtis and Tilly Nevin, Student Developers at IELLI

Student eligibility: This project is open to all, although it may particularly interest those hoping to pursue careers in Education, as well as students in Social Sciences.

Project description:

The team will produce a detailed, evidence-based report through engagement with a range of stakeholders. This includes internal units at the University of St Andrews, such as IELLI and Student Services, as well as individual Schools. Students will also be encouraged to research and evaluate solutions offered by other HE institutions. The group will design and conduct the research, which will be presented in a written report.

In addition, the group will be expected to develop a written proposal for one or more student-focused solutions which could be offered to individuals experiencing academic progress challenges. This should include by a clear marketing strategy to capture how the support would be positioned and advertised, appreciating that it is being targeted at students who may feel they have ‘failed’. Students will be encouraged to create an accompanying creative output (eg poster, video, logo) to enhance their proposal.

Graduate attributes:

Students will develop the following attributes: Creativity (generating original solutions to problems, innovating and designing new approaches), Research Skills and Problem Solving (identifying key issues, finding ways to work through challenges), oral and written communication (creating a report, presenting their solutions). They will also develop their organisational and leadership skills.

Sponsors: Frances Andrews (History) Julian Luxford (Art History) Eilidh Lawrence (Museums) Gearóid Mac a' Ghobhainn (Collections Curator)

Student eligibility: Open to all, and especially for students of History.

Project description:

University Collections have recently acquired a significant collection of late medieval seal matrices, which are a critical resource in understanding identity, religious belief, socio-economic implications, and craftsmanship in the medieval period. The matrices are ideal tools for teaching both at undergraduate and postgraduate level and a small sample of the collection was used in 2024-25 in classes for ME5208 and in the Palaeography and Codicology modules offered for the MLitts in Medieval History and Medieval Studies. The matrices have all been photographed and have preparatory descriptions, but to enable full use of the collection for both undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, they need to be catalogued, reconciling existing information about them, to make them accessible to staff, researchers, students and other interested people through the University Collections website. The project group will work on the catalogue, research collections in the UK to draw connections, and help make accessible the collection through digital content such as blog posts. The project is a great opportunity for participants to develop skills widely needed in museum work, familiarise themselves with part of the University collections and engage in research that enhances their value.

Project outputs:

Spreadsheet Catalogue of Matrices; Report on connections to collections in UK; Blog posts

Graduate attributes:

Participating students will develop techniques for effective team-work and interpersonal skills. They will use their creativity to develop innovative approaches for synthesising information. Students will enhance their research and problem-solving skills, digital literacy skills in working alongside the Museums database, and written communication skills for digital content. They will also learn to communicate complex information and technical concepts effectively, concisely, cogently and accurately.

Sponsors: Fiona Ross, Eden Campus

Student eligibility: This project is open to all, but would be especially attractive to students interested in local history.

Project description:

The team will play a key role in laying the groundwork for a series of public-facing outputs that explore and share the history of the Guardbridge Papermill. This will include supporting the development of a written and visual narrative history of the site, contributing to a curated timeline that traces its evolution and significance, and assisting in the collection of oral history interviews with former workers and local residents.

They will help shape materials for the Eden Campus website – both written and visual – and contribute draft content for a short public video in collaboration with the University’s Digital Communications team. They will also support the creation of initial content for exhibition or display boards, intended for use at Eden Campus or in community settings.

Graduate attributes:

Students involved will gain experience in independent research, including archival work and oral histories. They’ll develop communication skills, contribute to digital and visual storytelling, and support the planning of a live project. The role also fosters awareness of ethical and cultural issues in working with community memory and lived experience.

Sponsors: Dr Dharini Balasubramaniam, School of Computer Science

Student eligibility: This project is open to all, but would be especially attractive to students from Computer Science, and those interested in increasing accessibility.

Project description:

A classification framework for digital literacy resources
A curated list of online digital literacy resources
A webpage for publishing the list (to be linked from the existing project page)

Graduate attributes:

Socially responsible – integrity, civic engagement
Valuing diversity – diversity awareness, effective team contribution, interpersonal skills
Entrepreneurial mindset – creativity, research skills and problem solving
Leadership skills – self-awareness and reflection, organisation
Global outlook – digital literacy, written communication, discipline-specific skills including web authorship

Sponsors: Professor Clarissa Czekster, School of Biology, Dr Kirsty Ross, School of Computer Science

Student eligibility: This project is open to all, but would be especially attractive to students studying medicine. The sponsor would especially love students who can speak an additional language to join this team - if you speak another language, please indicate this on your application.

Project description:

We want to carry on making important concepts in antimicrobial resistance, developing new antibiotics, and how current antibiotics work widely accessible to the public via Wikipedia articles. “Simple Wikipedia” is also accessed by non-English speakers, and we would like to expand some entries to other languages, depending on the background of the team.

Besides additional languages, we will carry on explaining important concepts in antibiotics and their discovery and development, and this year will add entries on "natural products" and where antibiotics come from.

Graduate attributes:

Social responsibility: civic engagement and local and global good citizenship.
Valuing diversity: effective team contribution, interpersonal skills, and influencing and negotiation
Entrepreneurial mindset: creativity, confidence and adaptability, research skills and problem solving
Leadership skills: self-awareness and reflection, organisation, resilience, and leading others.
Global outlook: networking, digital literacy, written communication, and technical and specialist academic skills and disciplinary knowledge.

Sponsors: Sonja Heinrich, School of Biology

Student eligibility: Open to all students, but would be especially attractive to students of Biology.

Project description:

Sponsors: Dr Danica Pinto, School of Chemistry

Student eligibility: Open to students from any STEM discipline. Ideal for anyone interested in science communication, education or academic outreach.

Project description:

The STEP team will produce a strategy report, outreach toolkits and a summary presentation.

Graduate attributes:

Sponsors: Stefania Lisai (School of Mathematics and Statistics), Uri Horesh (School of Modern Languages), Antonis Vradis (School of Geography and Sustainable Development)

Student eligibility: Open to all, but may be especially of appealing to students of music or history.

Project description:

Depending on the students’ skills and preferences, the idea is to create a resource for people to learn about resistance struggles through the form of music. Given the nature of the project, a website/blog and/or a podcast would be excellent outputs from this project.

Graduate attributes:

The students will work on the attribute “Socially responsible”, “Valuing diversity”, “Self-awareness and reflection”, as well as “Organisation skills”, “Creativity”, “Problem Solving”, “Critical Thinking”, and “Analysis”. Developing the website will require “Digital literacy”, whereas historical research will develop “Technical and specialist academic skills and disciplinary knowledge”. “Written communication” and “Oral communication” will also be developed.

Sponsors: Xi Xi, Department of Management, Business School

Student eligibility: This project is open to all, but would be especially attractive to students from the Business School or interested in management.

Project description:

Report: a report that captures the key findings of the project
Presentation to the Department of Management Teaching Committee, sharing the findings and recommendations.

Graduate attributes:

Sponsors: Michelle Petrie and Kate Leavy, Student Services

Student eligibility: This project is open to all, but would be especially attractive to students interested in accessibility. 

Project description:

The initiative aims to enhance the existing online campus navigation system by integrating comprehensive accessibility information for disabled students. This update will include detailed descriptions of venue accessibility features such as wheelchair ramps, elevators, accessible restrooms, and hearing loop systems. The goal is to ensure that disabled students can easily find and access all campus facilities, promoting inclusivity and equal opportunities for all.

Project outputs:

Online Resource

Graduate attributes:

Empathy and Inclusivity: Graduates will develop a deeper understanding and appreciation for the needs of disabled individuals, fostering a more inclusive mindset. Problem-Solving Skills: Working on this project will require innovative thinking and practical solutions to ensure accessibility, enhancing graduates' ability to tackle complex challenges. Technical Proficiency: Updating an online system involves technical skills such as web development, data management, and user interface design, which are valuable in many professional fields. Communication Skills: Graduates will learn to convey important information clearly and effectively, ensuring that accessibility features are easily understood by all users. Leadership and Teamwork: Collaborating on this project will help graduates develop leadership qualities and teamwork skills, as they work together to achieve a common goal.