Hayfa Jafar

The mini exit meetings are important as give the institution to make corrective actions or provides other documnets the next day to clear up some non-compliance issues or lack of documentation. Ask questions and ask for more clarifications is a great strategy to make sure all on the same page and have a clear understanding of the final exit report. 

It is important to be honest in your answer, however, to not give a negative image about your institution. At the end, you represent the institution and you should focus on its strengths and culture.  

Select the right point of contact who knows the institution well, its programs, activities, and people. Be always ready with the right documents and resources. 

If you have a solid QA system that documents all processes and key information, you're always ready for an onsite visit—whether it's announced or a surprise. With everything in place, last-minute prep becomes minimal. Staff should know the system and the data inside out, so when a site visit happens, they’re confident and prepared for audits and reviews. At the end of the day, the visit is just a way to test how effective your system is—so it’s a win-win. The best approach? Always be ready. Do it right the first time.

Leaders need to be passionate about what they are doing, believe in their teachers and staff, and students. They surround themselves with competent staff and provide all the resources to support those who need support and encouragement. Give them time and space to learn from errors and make improvements. I like the three c's: competency, Candor, and Constancy, great values to carry with you as a leader.  

I believe the key message is transparency and clarity about all policies, regulations, and procedures. This would facilitate the alignment between these aspects and practices. 

I think the reflection piece is very important. Students gain and develop various EWS, however, many are not able to reflect on them or able to connect between the purpose of some extracurricular activities and the otucomes of these in terms of skills and competencies. I think this is where teachers play a role as well as the institutional culture to continously promote these skills and help students make the connection between their learning on campus and how to implement and use these skills and competencies in their jobs. 

Institutional culture is key in cultivating EWS. It needs shared values in which all employes and academic staff act upon and integrate them in their services and teaching practices. 

Lots of students have a hard time seeing the skills they’re building through their studies or linking those skills to what they're learning. I think schools should focus more on helping students make these connections and become more aware of the strengths they’re developing.

Management and leadership are both essential within an institution, and ideally, both qualities should coexist in individuals at all levels. According to the material, leaders drive change by challenging the status quo; managers, too, should embrace this mindset by introducing innovative approaches to enhance processes. In my view, both managers and leaders need to effectively navigate complexity and adapt to change.