Sejahtera Academic Framework (SAF)

136 135 The WIT is a transformation approach that involves everyone at the University. It is a University-wide transformation approach in which changes and transformation are made in totality rather in piece-meal or ad-hoc nature, leaving no one behind, including the surrounding and far-off communities impacted by the existence of the University (Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, 2020). WIT is an overarching, but for the purpose of this book, only selected strategies of WIT will be discussed to demonstrate WIT linkages to IIUM Sejahtera Academic Framework (SAF). WHOLE INSTITUTION TRANSFORMATION WIT AND SAF IMPLEMENTATION SAF is one of the initiatives of WIT that seeks to connect and integrate various knowledge elements to address the physical and spiritual aspects of human development. As such, values become an integral part of education under SAF. In WIT, strategies are commonly linked to one another to create wholeness in transformation. As such, successful implementation of one strategy is often dependent on the success of the implementation of other strategies. Similarly, in terms of implementation, WIT and SAF relationship is mutually supportive. For WIT to succeed, SAF must also be a success and vice versa . CAMPUS LIFE By now, it is clear that the IIUM WIT agenda involves everyone in the IIUM community especially the students. It is also apparent that one of the WIT objectives is to provide a complete nurturing environment for the university community. Therefore, it is only imperative that the students’ life be considered and put into perspective in fulfilling IIUM’s quest for a transformative learning ecosystem. It has usually been the case where students’ life definition in curriculum is largely confined to their space within the context of attending the formal class. Little attention is given to the other aspects of student life, for example, their well-being in the students’ residential (mahallah) , as well as their interaction with the community at large. In fact, with the vast internet access, a student’s life expands beyond local community and borders as understood from the concept of life-wide learning (LWL). A student's life sphere in IIUM Bi'ah Campus Life Experience R e a l - w o r l d A c a d e m i a B i ' a h V i r t u a l W o r l d A Murabbi ecosystem is what IIUM aimed to achieve for the students. With intakes being the main throughput, it is vital to identify and recognise the different aspects of students’ life that may influence the outcome of the nurturing process of Insān Sejahtera . This process can be seen as a sub-cycle - “from the student, to the student”. With SAF, the four (4) elements in the figure above are the major milieus of student life. The students are active participants in which they are not only taking in information but also actively providing feedback. Hence, these milieus are vital towards the development of the JERIHAS domain in students. As can be seen in the graduate’s attribute survey reported earlier, the 2019 IIUM graduates have issues in the ‘mindset’ section of the survey. They felt threatened with others’ achievements and were unable to handle criticism. In Ibn Khaldun’s “The Muqqadimah ” (1377), he specified that the environment ( bi’ah ) has a direct effect on an individual mindset especially Bi’ah solehah . In fact, many published literatures have reiterated the impact of Bi’ah solehah in nurturing Hamba Allah who is well-balanced not only in Academia aspects as per the FPK ( Jasmani, Emosi, Rohani, Intelek ) but also in the Real-world ( Sosialisasi, Alam sekitar ). In the case of IIUM, the masjid , kulliyyah, mahallah , café, and recreational centres are among the main points of influence to our students. One of the agenda for mahallah is to instill the sense of belonging to IIUM. The mahallah should not just be a place for students to rest and sleep. Prof Emeritus Kamal himself mentioned that the design of the mahallah having four