Sejahtera Academic Framework (SAF)

86 85 The practise of prioritising hiring academic staff with a doctoral or professional qualification instead of the minimum masters qualification should continue. It is evident that their expertise in their area of specialisation is translated into the classrooms and the content coverage of the curriculum. Having said that, the opportunities for the academic staff to improve themselves should be made readily available either via the existing sabbatical attachments, invigorating the industrial attachment allocation, or continued series of workshops and seminars in various pedagogical aspects, and also in the Islamisation and the Insān Sejahtera concepts and practices. Teachers teach for the future in the formal settings, and they become role models beyond these formal settings, hence it is important that they be given the support and opportunity to fulfill these responsibilities, while also becoming the referral persons in their areas of expertise. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR UNDERGRADUATE ACADEMIC PROGRAMMES UniCORE The University is recommended to rationalise the structure and content of the present UniCORE courses (and the philosophy behind it) and the old version of UniCORE prior to formalizing the SAF. Following this, all members of staff need to be given a briefing on UniCORE so that they have a succinct and working understanding of UniCORE. Given that UniCORE is an important element in SAF towards nurturing students imbued with Islamic values and strong empathy towards others and the environment, and while being critical and grounded in evidence, the marginalisation of UniCORE courses should cease. More efforts should bemade to support the implementation of these courses to achieve their objectives. UniCORE instructors, if given formal training in assessment, would be able to review the present assessment and to propose informed changes to their courses. Hence, a continuous professional development programme to this effect should be constructed and implemented. Above all, the University is recommended to provide continuous training for UniCORE instructors and to invest on the design of a handbook on teaching skills and assessment for facilitators and instructors. As the University decided to maintain the UniCORE setup, concerted effort must be made to send strong signals to the University population that UniCORE courses are important to the students. We do not, in any way, suggest that all members of staff should know everything about the UniCORE courses, but they at least ought to be aware of the whole UniCORE structure. Morale support from the University, in this respect, must be done deliberately and visibly to the University population. Instructors Teaching Materials The University is also recommended to re-introduce the Production of Instructional Materials Unit at OCAP (this Unit was previously handled by them) to facilitate and advise UniCORE instructors in designing teaching materials, particularly those in digital formats. The services offered by this unit should be extended to other lecturers throughout the years. The University should note that, althoughmore andmore lecturers are becoming familiar with the state-of- the-art teaching materials, there are still those who possess the ideas but lack the skills and equipment to use or manipulate digital format materials. Facilities Satisfaction with facilities - be them teaching and learning, research or living facilities - has not been high across the various fact-finding tools. It is therefore important for the University management to look into this more systematically, and prioritise what needs to be up-graded or installed, even removed, to provide a learning, working and living environment that befits a university that is leading the way. Alumni The alumni has been largely an under-utilised segment of the University community. The past few years has seen an increase in the involvement of alumni in various university programmes, but it can be enhanced. The alumni should be engaged not just in intermittent programmes, but in the academic pursuits being done in the University. Academic programmes The academic programmes continue to be the backbone of the university. Generally, many alumni are happy with the formal education that they received. The University should continue its quest to offer the best programmes, instead of resting on its laurels. The first-year employment rate of our graduates could be improved, but doing so requires the programmes to undertake a critical reviewof their current practices. However, it is something all programmes should do, and SAF is a way to frame the critical review that they should undertake. Islamisation As a thrust of the University, Islamisation efforts have been felt, both during their tenure as students of the University, but perhaps more importantly, afterwards as these alumni make their marks in the world. A major take-away from the FGDs is the realisation that Islamisation should be at not just the domain of knowledge, but has to be in the behavioural domain, and perhaps more importantly, in the affective domain. Islamisation processes and Islamic values should be internalised by all the University community such that they are manifested in the behaviours and the thinking processes. In the academic programmes, UniCORE is only the base to begin this effort, and it then should be picked up and addressed in the core academic courses too.