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

University of Kochi

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: PublicLocation: Kochi, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2015
Accreditation Status: Accredited（Accreditation Period: April.01.2016 – March.31.2023）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results
for the University of Kochi
Overview
The University of Kochi (hereafter, the University), whose parent body was Kochi
Women’s Prefectural Medical College (established in 1945), was reorganized as Kochi
Women’s Prefectural College in 1947, and in 1949 became Kochi Women’s University.
Following a period of faculty and graduate school establishment and reorganization, theinstitution was shifted from a prefectural university to one under the Kochi Prefectural
Public University Cooperation in 2011. At that time, it became a coeducational schooland renamed itself the University of Kochi. Currently, the University has four faculties(faculties of Cultural Studies, Nursing, Social Welfare, and Nutrition) as well as three
graduate schools (graduate schools of Nursing, Human Life Sciences, and Human
Health Science, the latter of which halted its admissions in 2014), and has conducted its
education and research activities on its Ike and Eikokuji campuses in Kochi City, Kochi
Prefecture.
This is the first accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation
Association (JUAA). Since its accreditation by the National Institution for AcademicDegrees and University Evaluation in 2009, the University has conducted improvements
and reforms with the president’s initiative based on the Kochi Prefecture Public
University Corporation’s midterm plan. The University has notably established theCooperative Doctoral Program for Disaster Nursing by synthesizing five universities
with different establishment bodies; has actively contributed to the society forintellectual and human resources, mostly through each faculty and the Wellness andLongevity Center; and has worked in unison for its management by sharing information
on each department in the Annual Review Debrief Session.
However, the University still has several issues to address. Several faculties do
not have clear curriculum design policies, the content of the syllabi vary, and student
enrollment is not properly managed. These points should be improved in the future.
Notable Strengths
Education and Research Organization
 It is commendable that the University has shown leadership by overcoming issues
such as differences in the parent establishment body, the education system, and thepersonnel system; by teaching in distant areas; and by establishing the Cooperative
Doctoral Program for Disaster Nursing, the first of its kind in Japan, which is a joint
program by five different national, public, and private universities.
Social Cooperation and Contribution
 It is commendable that the University, by actively devoting its intellectual resources
and human resources to society, has made efforts to further develop its relationshipwith the local community through a wide range of social contribution activities inculture, disaster prevention, health, and welfare. The faculties of Cultural Studies,Nursing, Social Welfare, and Nutrition have developed model projects for resolving
local issues, and have also matched local needs in Kochi Prefecture with theeducation and research resources of the University. Also, the Wellness andLongevity Center has yielded results, such as improvements in consultation rates ofspecific health checkups for lifestyle-related diseases in Usa District by developing
cooperative projects with Tosa City, Kochi Prefecture.

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Administration and Finance It is commendable that the University holds debrief meetings that allows faculty,committee, and staff members to participate freely despite their requirement to do so.
The debrief meetings have become a system through which attendees can share
information or awareness of problems among departments and faculty staff andmembers, and work for university management. In the Annual Review Debrief
session, which is held early in each academic year with the University’s president as
its chair, each faculty, graduate school, and center (such as the Regional Education
Research Center), each committee (such as the Students Committee, theRegistration Committee, the FD Committee and the International Exchange
Committee), and staff (of the General Coordination and Policy Planning Office, theStudent Affairs Office, and others) have made presentations to share theirachievements of the past academic year as well as their action policies for the next
academic year. This meeting has contributed to improvements in education content
and methods.
Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome

The curriculum design policies in the Faculty of Social Welfare and the Faculty ofNutrition only describe the current situations and do not indicate the basic ideas on
educational content and the method of education. This situation should be improved.

The policies on degree award in the master’s and doctoral programs in the Graduate
School of Human Life Science do not indicate the learning outcomes of required
knowledge and abilities for the completion of programs. This should be improved.

The content of the syllabi varies across the entire university. The syllabi should be
useful for the learning of students.

In all the doctoral programs in the Graduate Schools, some students complete all therequirements except the dissertation and leave the university before completing theirdissertation requirement within the time limit set by the University. Later, whenthese students submit their dissertations, even though they do not have the enrollment
status, they are granted doctoral degrees in the same manner as those students
continuously enrolled. This is an inappropriate use of the system that should becorrected. In accordance with the purpose of having doctoral program, the University
should create measures to enhance the degree completion within the required timeframe.

Enrollment
The ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap is high at 6.00 in thedoctoral programs in the Graduate School of Nursing, and at 3.33 in the doctoralprogram in the Graduate School of Human Life Science. These numbers should beimproved.

Education and Research Environment
The Ike Library does not employ any full-time staff members with specialized
knowledge. This should be improved.