Sejahtera Academic Framework (SAF)

96 95 In the domain of co-curricular, student activities can come in the form of (i) non-credited extra-curricular (ii) student clubs (iii) societies and (iv) sports. All of these forms of activities are available in IIUM and are heavily supported by the UG students. Because of work and family demands, PG students are not known to be overly active in student societies and student activities. In addition, PG students, by nature are more mature and independent and should be able to carry out activities, either of spiritual, sports, recreational or communal nature, Co-Curricular implications of Islamic values and Ethics for the various specialisations within the Kulliyyah of Architectural and Environmental Design and their own roles as professionals in their area. Of principal significance is the emphasis on the overwhelming importance of achieving the five objectives of the Maqā ṣ id Ash-Sharī ʿ ah in any projects embarked upon by an IIUMgraduates. The course also propagates for the peaceful coexistence with the environment and its implications for mankind’s future developments. It would be interesting to note that for some kulliyyahs there is no overarching Islamisation course as the above. Two centres of studies adopted this approach i.e. the Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws and the Institute of Islamic Banking and Finance. The rationale for this approach is to embed Islamic perspective in all the courses offered within the programme instead of dedicating a single course that dwells into the theories of Islamisation of the disciplines itself. In the Ahmad Ibrahim Kulliyyah of Laws taught Master in Comparative Laws and LL.M, the Islamic perspectives are well spread in the courses offered such as Islamic law of Transaction or Islamic Finance Contract. In IIIBF, a number of 14 courses are taught covering both the Western science as well as the Islamic perspective within the same course. These courses range from the financial system, economics, capital market, banking and wealth management. The variety of which Islamisation and Islamic ethics courses are being taught bring into question whether there is a need for a single unified university required course (UniCORE-PG) known as Islamisation and Integration for the PG students that cuts across all disciplines. It is not possible to represent all the critical components of Islamisation courses in this short write up, but suffice to say that the wealth of analysis and studies on the epistemological basis, the theoretical construct, the methodologies, the history and evolution as well as contemporary relevance have been significantly and substantially extrapolated in these courses. Elective Courses In terms of elective courses, the master’s degree (coursework mode) and (mixed mode) comes with a variety of electives. However, these electives are only open to the students in that particular kulliyyah only. Free electives, as proposed to UG students throughout the university, have recently been pioneered by INHART in their MAHIM programmes. of their own accord with the least instruction from the university. Unfortunately, this culture is lacking in IIUM. To ignite more interest in co-curricular activities, there is a suggestion that PG students are treated like UG students in all the privileges and recognition such as star rating, gap year as well as special award for active involvement in co-curricular activities. It has to be acknowledged that as more and more students sign up for PG programmes immediately after graduation without any working experience, their exposure and training in co-curricular would be relevant for job seeking purposes as prospective employers still prefer graduates with well-rounded and balanced personalities. As PG programmes are by nature require students to work independently, continuous engagement with the students in the form of activities would be able to mobilise the PG students’ involvement in co-curricular activities. In light of heavy academic demands, it is advisable that co-curricular activities are kept as optional and non-credited. The suggestion is that extra activities can be conducted outside of the classroom to promote and create awareness on the IIUM Graduate attributes in the form of seminars, talks, and webinars including any other courses that prepare students for IR4.0. All the Centres of Studies agree that there must be a more concerted effort to acclimatise the PG students into the IIUM ideals through student activities rather than through formal courses. An example of this is to have an annual compulsory ‘ibādah camp, flagship programmes, Service Learning Malaysia (SULAM) activities, community engagement, or sports activities where PG communities can meet and more importantly interact with each other. In addition, keeping in mind that some PG students may have minimal Islamic orientation and exposure, it is worthwhile to explore the possibility of offering Qur’ānic classes for selected PG students on an optional basis.