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

Shirayuri University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2017
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April.01.2018 – March.31.2025）

2

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Shirayuri University
Overview
Shirayuri University (hereafter, the University) was initially the French-English-Japanese Girls’High School founded in 1898 by the Convent of St. Paul of Chartres of France; it wasconverted into a two-year college in 1950 and subsequently a four-year institution uponmoving to its current location in Chofu City, Tokyo in 1965. The University’s undergraduate
and graduate schools, namely the Faculty of Liberal Arts, the Faculty of Human Studies, andthe Graduate School of Liberal Arts, have continuously strived to enhance their education andresearch activities on the basis of the founding spirit of “character building with a strongemphasis on the Catholic worldview” and “development of women who embody the harmonyof intelligence and sensibility” with “truth, goodness, and beauty” as key concepts.
After its accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association (JUAA)
in 2010, the University’s Self-Study Committee addressed the areas of improvement andlaunched the “PDCA Promotion System,” a university-wide internal quality assurance System.
However, JUAA has found no evidence that the PDCA cycle is functioning successfully. The
University’s departments and units are advised to use the PDCA method more effectively todrive improvement.
The “Shirayuri Global Business Program” offered by the Faculty of Liberal Arts is aprogram unique to the University. With an underlying focus on “monogatariryoku (the abilityto construct and tell a story),” which the University defines as the combination of creative
thinking skills, cooperative skills, and communication skills that the Faculty of Liberal Arts iscommitted to developing in students, the program aims to improve student employability,
thereby allowing them to respond well to an increasingly globalized business world. Under
the program, students take two English language courses, including “Business English,” atthe level corresponding to their TOEICⓇ scores, then participate in English-speaking
internships at companies in Japan or abroad. The program is commended for striving todevelop individuals capable of succeeding in a globalizing society.
As for areas of improvement, the Graduate School of Liberal Arts has not yet todevelop research instruction plans. This document should be produced to enable professors
to supervise their students’ research and dissertation projects in accordance with the set
instruction plans. On the governance front, the University is advised to formulate rules and3regulations for organizations crucial for implementing education and research activities,
such as the Council of the Advisors to the President and the Special Committee for theGraduate School.
It is only recently that the University launched its internal quality assurance System.
Going forward, the University is expected to ensure that the programs function properly andmake the necessary improvements as it further develops its distinctive strengths.
Notable Strengths
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome
The Faculty of Liberal Arts offers the “Shirayuri Global Business Program” that focuses
on developing through the faculty’s specialized courses the ability to construct and tell astory, or “monogatariryoku,” defined by the University as the combination of creative
thinking skills, cooperative skills, and communication skills. It aims to improve theemployability of students, enabling them to respond well to an increasingly globalizedbusiness world. Under the program, first- and second-year students take two English
language courses, one being “Business English,” to learn expressions commonly used inbusiness situations at the level corresponding to their TOEICⓇ scores, in addition tocourses on cross-cultural awareness, business etiquette, and hospitality. Third-year
students participate in English-speaking internships at companies in Japan or in China,
the United States or Australia to acquire practical skills. We commend the program foroffering opportunities for students to develop the global awareness and thinking skills
necessary to design their own career paths and succeed as independent professionals in
an increasingly globalized world. Such opportunities include the “Monogatariryoku
Workshop” designed to enhance communication and assertiveness skills, which are
prized skills in today’s society.

Suggestions for Improvement
Faculty and Faculty Organization
The University does not offer professional development opportunities, and the training
provided centers mainly on lesson enhancement. The University is advised to enhance its4faculty development programs to improve the quality of its teaching staff.
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome


The Master’s and Doctoral Programs in the Department of Developmental Psychology
and the Department of Children's Literature offered by the Graduate School of Liberal
Arts adopt the same degree award policy. The University is advised to formulate a degree
award policy for each individual program.

The Graduate School of Liberal Arts regulations state that the assessment standards for the“Project on a Specific Research Topic” for the Master’s Programs in the Department ofJapanese Language and Literature, the Department of French Language and Literature,and the Department of English Language and Literature are equivalent to the thesis
assessment standards. The University is advised to establish a separate set of assessment
standards for both the “Project on a Specific Research Topic” and dissertations.

Enrollment
The average ratio of freshman enrollment to the freshman enrollment cap over the past
five years is high at 1.34 in the Department of Children’s Culture, Faculty of HumanStudies, and should be lowered.

Education and Research Environment
Although the University has adopted the Policy on Prevention and Management ofResearch Misconduct at Shirayuri University, no procedures are in place to respond toincidents of misconduct, and the current prevention program applies exclusively toresearchers subsidized by external organizations. The University is advised to establish
procedures to ensure integrity and instill a strong sense of research ethics in all full-timeteachers and graduate students.

Administration and Finance
The University is advised to establish rules and regulations for the Council of the5Advisors to the President, the Special Committee for the Graduate School, theAcademic Affairs Committee, and other important decision-making bodies to define
their roles and authority.

Internal Quality Assurance
The University established the Self-Study Committee and launched the “PDCAPromotion System,” a university-wide internal quality assurance system using the PDCA
method. However, the scope of the work undertaken is limited to interventions addressing
issues raised during the University accreditation review, with no evidence suggesting theUniversity has conducted self-study and improvement activities in accordance with its
own rules and internal quality assurance policy. The University is advised to ensure thatthe PDCA promotion program is effectively implemented on an institution-wide basis andlinked to substantial reform.

Area of Serious Concern
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome
The Graduate School of Liberal Arts needs to develop research instruction plans forprofessors to supervise their students’ research and dissertation projects in accordance withthe school’s set instruction plans.