Empowering Student Futures: An Alumni Ambassador Network for South Asian Muslim Women in Education
Monday, April 13, 2026 11:30 AM - 12:15 PM
BELONGING AND MATTERING
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Session Outline
The University is focused on developing an intentionally inclusive culture which promotes belonging and celebrates diversity, and this can be achieved via the development of the Intentionally Inclusive Framework. This proposal introduces a pilot research project at Manchester Metropolitan University designed to operationalise this commitment by addressing differential graduate outcomes through an alumni Ambassador network. The initiative connects South Asian Muslim women alumni - acting as Ambassadors - with current South Asian Muslim women PGCE students, fostering culturally responsive guidance and co-produced knowledge to inform institutional policy and practice. Drawing on standpoint feminism and collective agency, the project foregrounds marginalised voices to create systemic change without placing the burden solely on students. By leveraging lived experiences and role modelling, Ambassadors help close awarding gaps, enhance belonging, and empower students to achieve successful graduate outcomes within and beyond higher education. This approach aligns with MMU’s Inclusive and Diverse Culture Strategy and national equality charter frameworks, offering a replicable model for embedding equity and inclusion in academic advising and personal tutoring.
Learning Outcomes
Be able to identify actionable steps to implement culturally responsive mentorship models within their own institutions to enhance student success and graduate outcomes.
Bibliography
Allouche, S. (2024) Beyond the canon: un-learning the “Muslim woman” in UK higher education classroom with a “pedagogy of opacity”. Contemporary Islam, 18(1), pp.27–43.
Harding, S. (1993) Rethinking Standpoint Epistemology: What Is Strong Objectivity? In: Alcoff, L. and Potter, E. (eds.) Feminist Epistemologies. New York and London: Routledge, pp.49–82.
Mohiuddin, M.B. (2025) Everywhere She Maps Through the Lens of Feminist Standpoint Epistemologies. ResearchGate.
Niaz, S. (2025) Mentorship or Missed Opportunity? The Cultural Disconnect Facing South Asian Women in the UK. Global Woman Magazine.
QAA (2023) Inclusive Higher Education Framework. Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education.
Advance HE (2025) Inclusive Institutions Framework. Advance HE. Available at: https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/equality-diversity-and-inclusion/inclusive-institutions-framework
Knight, C., Conn, C., Crick, T. and Brooks, S. (2025) Divergences in the framing of inclusive education across the UK: a four nations critical policy analysis. Educational Review, 77(2), pp.495–511.
Competencies
This session addresses the following competencies of the UKAT Professional Framework for Advising and Tutoring
C5 - How equitable and inclusive environments are created and maintained
I1 - HE Provider mission, vision, values, and culture
R1 - Build advising and tutoring relationships through empathetic listening and compassion for students, and be accessible in ways that challenge, support, nurture, and teach
R2 - Communicate in an inclusive and respectful manner
R3 - Motivate, encourage, and support students to recognize their potential, meet challenges, and respect individuality
R7 - Collaborate effectively with campus services to provide support to students
P1 - Create and support environments that consider the needs and perspectives of students, and respect individual learners
P2 - Appreciate students’ views and cultures, maintain a student-centred approach and mindset, and treat students with sensitivity and fairness
P3 - Commit to students, colleagues, and their institutions through engagement in continuing professional development, scholarly enquiry, and the evaluation of professional practices
P4 - Understand the implications of quality assurance and quality enhancement, and engage in on-going evaluation and development of advising and tutoring practice