Sejahtera Academic Framework (SAF)

142 141 for SAF to be implemented and flourish. Green campus, for instance, will be able to accommodate outdoor classroom activities, provide informal learning space for students and instill environmental values in the campus community. SAF is essential as it puts together in one framework how each of the agencies in the University contributes towards the transformative education process. For example, the IT facilities should be a state-of-the-art - not just in the classrooms or the labs, but also in the supporting environment. What can be automated should be automated so that the humans involved are able to spendmore time in growth-type of activities, not routine ones. The system should be flexible enough to capture the flexibility of the current academic programmes and the changes that will occur in the future. Human resource (HR) matters should be focused on assisting the academic programmes such that the students continue to receive the best there is to offer. There should not be disruptions due to retirement, and unforeseen major disruptions (such as the COVID-19 pandemic) should be efficiently dealt with. All staff should be seen as talents to be nurtured, in this uniquely Islamic environment. The HR framework should be a growth framework, nurturing and protecting staff when needed; but also one in which all staff will internalise the Islamic work ethics leading to everyone striving to be the best and being accountable for their actions. This is not the work of only one agency, hence the need for WIT. In Malaysia, university plans for institution transformation can be made difficult by the imposition of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that are imposed by the various authorities and agencies. This reportedly is the case of Universiti Sains Malaysia. The emphasis on intangibles and immeasurable Key Intangible Indicators (KII) has been overtaken by the demands to fulfill KPIs and other measurable indicators in an oversimplified and naïve manner. This includes citation count and number of publications in particular types of journals, that are commonly used to tabulate university rankings. Learning from this, the emphasis on assessing the performance of staff is recommended to be based on KII. The KII may be made possible by using a specially designed Humaniversity Competency Framework. There is no “ticked box” exercise of which the institution transformation does not conform neatly. Rather “success” is based on a 360-degree approach together with the project partners based on a range of stated domains. The ‘competency model’ is intended to provide ‘a structured guide enabling the identification, evaluation and development of targeted behaviours in individuals’. It encompasses ‘a set of observable, measurable and improvable behaviours comprising knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics, including values (KSAV)’. The competency model, as designed, is to enhance further community engagement based on desired behavioural qualities and values, using core domains that mirror the Insān Sejahtera attributes. Following this, various opportunities for research and innovation will be created, opening other windows for learning and co-creating ‘new’ knowledge, while (re) discovering the old from within the community (indigenisation). In this respect, the aspect of knowledge diversity – with a special emphasis on local/traditional/ religious knowledge – is an important dimension in humanising education. This could not only further unlock the wisdom of ages from the community in our collective quest for viable (sustainable) solutions to our shared concerns about environmental preservation and sustainable economies, but also, more importantly, lead to an abandonment of the delusionary assumption that there is a single universal path to progress. Institutional readiness is part of the IIUM Sejahtera Strategic Ecosystem, which was originally depicted in IIUM Roadmap 2019-2020, and also refined and adapted in IIUM Roadmap 2021-2022. The strategic ecosystem consisted of three (3) crescents leading to IIUM’s strategic direction of ‘Humanising Higher Education through Maqā ṣ id Ash-Sharī ʿ ah and SDGs’. The crescents are made up of three layers of operational components identified as critical strategies. Firstly, institutional readiness as the foundation to embark on the process. One aspect of the readiness is a strong understanding among the IIUM community on the concept of Maqā ṣ id Ash-Sharī ʿ ah to ensure it is consistently embraced and embedded through the entire execution and evaluation process. Secondly, the specific organisational processes that will bring in the changes needed to achieve the outlined vision, missions and strategic direction. Thirdly, the four (4) main stakeholders of the university - staff, student, neighboring community and the institution itself – to achieve the state of balance and harmony as illustrated in the following diagram. Sejahtera Strategic Ecosystem HUMANISING EDUCATION BALANCED GRADUATES BALANCED STAFF HARMONIOUS COMMUNITY INSTITUTIONAL SUSTAINABILITY CULTURE & EXPERIENTIAL LEARNING (IQRA') RESPONSIBLE RESEARCH & INNOVATION (AMĀNAH) HIGH TOUCH COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT EFFECTIVE SUSTAINABLE RESOURCE-BASED MANAGEMENT VALUE BASED ECOSYSTEM & SERVICESWITH GOOD GOVERNANCE HIGH IMPACT TRANS-DISCIPLINARY & QUINTUPLE HELIX MODEL COLLABORATIONS INTEGRATION ISLAMISATION& INTERNATIONALISATION FALSAFAH PENDIDIKAN KEBANGSAAN & MAQĀ Ṣ ID ASH-SHARĪ ʿ AH SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS SUSTAINABLE-LED CAMPUS ISTIQAMAH IIUM Strategic Direction Outcomes Organisational Process Institutional Readiness