University Accreditation Results(Results for Certified Evaluation and Accreditation for University)

Hosei University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2019
Accreditation Status: Accredited（Accreditation Period: April 1.2020 – March 31.2027）

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Hosei University
Overview
Hosei University (hereinafter referred to as the “University”) states as its purpose “todevelop educated citizens who contribute to the public good. As befits an honoured
academic institution, the University pursues its mission based on the spirit of democracy,and through inclusion of world cultures, acquisition of deeper knowledge, and the love oftruth and peace,” established the Hosei University Charter in AY2016, and publicly
announced its commitment to develop “practical wisdom for freedom,” representing theUniversity’s principles. In accordance with the Hosei University Charter, the University
has established three missions, formulated the long-term vision HOSEI2030 in AY2016,
and engages in the improvement of educational and research activity.
With regard to internal quality assurance, the University has established thefollowing bodies: the Committee for Checks, Assessment, and Planning, which is
responsible for designing the self-study structure, formulating proposals, andcoordinating between different parties; the Self-Study Committee, which is responsible
for conducting self-study; the Quality Assurance Committee, which is responsible for
confirming the content of reviews carried out by each division; and the UniversityAssessment Committee, which is composed of internal and external experts. Under thisstructure, each division grasps and confirms its current status through self-study, and thelevel of achievement and appropriateness of the self-study results are assessed separately.
The Quality Assurance Office supports these activities through creating and analyzing
various databases. In AY2018, the University established the University-Wide Quality
Assurance Meeting, which is responsible for the promotion of internal quality assurance
on a university-wide level. The meeting extracts university-wide agendas, cooperates
with the Executive Council, Faculty Dean Meeting, and Graduate School Dean Meeting,among other bodies, and engages in quality assurance of various education-relatedactivities. The University has greatly enhanced its academic planning and designing
functions through the establishment of the Academic Strategy and Planning Office under
the Office of the President in AY2019, as well as the implementation of the Vice-President
Project in cooperation with the University-Wide Quality Assurance Meeting and theCenter for Higher Education Development and Support. The University has establishedthe Project Assessment Committee and started to conduct comprehensive assessment ofongoing measures and projects.

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As for education, degree award policy (diploma policy) and curriculum design
and implementation policy (curriculum policy) have been established, and curricula aredesigned systematically in correspondence to the characteristics of each field of study.
The University has introduced a subject numbering system whereby each subject is givena specific number according to its category, content, and level, and created curriculum
trees that clearly describe the relationship between each subject and the skills indicatedin the relevant degree award policy and also indicate the corresponding year, so as toenable students to learn in a systematic and methodical manner. Learning outcomes aremeasured and grasped on a university-wide level through self-study activities, andassessment policies are formulated based on the achievements and then published.
The Hosei University Charter was carefully verbalized over a period of one anda half years by faculty and staff members who reviewed the University’s founding
principles, educational attitude, missions, raison d’etre, characteristics, and strengths,
thus representing one of the major features of the University’s branding strategy. The
motto “practical wisdom for freedom” is reflected in all areas both on and off campus,
ranging from faculty and staff members’ workplace to students’ learning and otherextracurricular activities. The formulation process of the Hosei University Charter andthe various activities conducted based on the charter are remarkable endeavors. Other
remarkable endeavors include: improvement of educational methods through theintroduction and reorganization of active learning and problem solving-style fieldworkprograms, implementation of faculty development (hereinafter referred to as “FD”) thatincorporates the perspective of students, and provision of peer support by student staff.
However, several issues need to be resolved, especially in the graduate schools.
Some graduate schools do not present the basic ideas on curriculum organization andimplementation in the curriculum design and implementation policy. This should beimproved. Regarding student enrollment, some programs have not met the quota or haveexceeded the quota. Therefore, the University should significantly improve quota
management.
Going forward, we hope the University consistently implements measures for
improvement through the University-Wide Quality Assurance Meeting in order to address
the aforementioned problems, and further enhances its diverse distinctive endeavors
toward developing its attractive program even further.
Notable Strengths
Mission and Purpose3 The University established the Hosei University Charter in AY2016 in order torespond to an era of change and mobility and to clarify its roots, goals, and uniqueness.
The charter was verbalized over a period of one and a half years by faculty and staff
members who reviewed the University’s founding principles, educational attitude,
missions, raison d’etre, characteristics, and strengths, thus representing one of themajor features of the University’s branding strategy. All faculty and staff members
have worked to spread the motto “practical wisdom for freedom.” To this end, theUniversity has held the Practical Wisdom for Freedom Awards and staff workshops,
launched Invitation to Studies in Law and Policy, Introductory Seminar on Business
Administration, and other subjects relating to the University’s education, andreviewed its educational program. The University plans to open the HOSEI Museum
for the purpose of collecting, storing, and exhibiting its resources. It is commendable
that the University capitalizes on its strengths to conduct various activities.
Educational Program and Outcome
 In order to implement active learning and develop practical knowledge, a goal statedin the action plan formulated for achieving the long-term vision HOSEI2030, theUniversity grasps and analyzes the conditions of active learning conducted in existingclasses, has established a system whereby multi-function devices are used to notify
marking results and comments automatically, introduced active learning to large-scaleclasses by utilizing reaction papers, and introduced and reorganized problem solvingstyle fieldwork programs. These endeavors have led to the implementation of active
learning and development of practical knowledge at all levels of the University, fromindividual seminars and departments to university-wide programs. Regular
engagement in these activities is expected to lead to the development of curricula thatbuild on existing endeavors and embody “practical wisdom for freedom,” thus
representing a commendable feature.
Faculty and Faculty Organization
 As part of its efforts to enhance faculty member quality, the University has adopted aclass monitoring system by students toward improving the teaching methods ofindividual faculty members. In this system, students who have undergone a certain
level of training check how faculty members speak and write on the blackboard during4

class, and the comments of those students are used for class improvement. TheUniversity has also established the Best Teacher Award, which is awarded to faculty
members who conduct ideal classes. Winners are determined based on the results ofclass improvement questionnaires filled in by students or the number of student votes
contestants win in voting events held every year according to a specific theme. In thisway, the University promotes FD activities that incorporate the perspective of students.
It is commendable that these activities contribute to the enhancement of faculty
member awareness and quality and also provide students with a great opportunity tothink about the quality of faculty members and classes.
Student Support
 The University has consistently provided learning support which is centered aroundlearning through student interaction. To this end, the University assigns student
supporters to assist new students and international students, and hires students as
project staff in extracurricular education programs. In order to achieve cooperation
between these peer support activities, the University has established Peer Net, aninternal network that connects not only students involved in learning support, but also
student FD staff and student staff involved in open campus events and library
activities. In this way, the University has strived to enhance and strengthen its learning
support activities centered around peer support. The University has clearly defined
the skills that student staff members acquire through these activities as the Peer Net
Competencies (12 Basic Skills), and holds joint workshops designed to develop them.
These endeavors contribute to enhancing the skills of students involved in peer
support, and thus represent an advanced and commendable effort to utilize students’skills for student support on an organization-wide level.
University Management and Finance The University launched a project assessment system in AY2019, aiming to clarify its
project objectives and assess the appropriateness of implementation methods andcosts. According to this system, the Project Assessment Committee verifies eachproject’s progress towards its goal, and then, based on the verification results, thepresident determines whether to continue, suspend, or scale down each of the projects
in an impartial manner. This is a commendable endeavor that leads to restoring the5

University’s management to a healthy state, including the implementation of financial
reform, in line with the long-term vision HOSEI2030.
Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Program and Outcome The Major in Systems Engineering (Master’s Program) in the Graduate School ofScience and Engineering does not present the basic ideas on curriculum organizationin the curriculum design and implementation policy, and the Graduate School ofEngineering & Design (Doctoral Program) and the Graduate School of Law, which isa professional degree program, do not present the basic ideas on curriculum
implementation in the curriculum design and implementation policy. This should be
improved.
Student Enrollment The ratio of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap is low at 0.30 in theMaster’s Program in the Graduate School of Law and 0.40 in the Master’s Programin the Graduate School of Politics, and high at 2.23 in the Doctoral Program in theGraduate School of Humanities. Therefore, the University should significantly
improve graduate school quota management.

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