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

Kyushu Lutheran College

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Kumamoto, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2022
Accreditation Status: accredited（Accreditation Period: April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2030）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Kyushu Lutheran CollegeOverview
Kyushu Lutheran College, founded on the spirit of “providing character education
based on Christianity and cultivating persons who are willing to serve God and others
to gain knowledge, nurture sentiments, and achieve peace with love,” sets forth its
purpose “under the school motto of ‘Gratitude and Service,’ engaging in profoundeducation and research on specialized arts and sciences, providing education required
in work and social life, nurturing holistic, emotionally rich, internationally-mindedpersons, and developing individuals who can contribute widely to the improvementof welfare, society and culture.” To achieve its founding spirit and purpose, theCollege has strived to enhance its educational and research activities through Kyushu
Lutheran College Vision 2020 (hereafter, “Vision 2020”), a ten-year medium-termplan from AY2020, following the previous seven-year mid-term plan, Kyushu
Lutheran College Vision 2014 (hereafter, “Vision 2014”) from AY2014.
With respect to internal quality assurance, under the instruction of theCouncil for Internal Quality Assurance (hereafter, “Promotion Council”) responsible
for the college-wide internal quality assurance system, the College assesses theprogress of the medium-term plan and annual plans based on the medium-term planusing the Management Ledger consisting of the Annual Action Plan and Annual
Assessment and Ratings. The primary assessments by the faculty and graduate school,affiliated entities, and administrative sections, the secondary assessment by membersof the college-wide Committee for Inspection and Evaluation, and the comprehensive
assessment by the chairman ensure the effective operation of the annual PDCA cycle.
In addition, the College has established the Student’s Voice Committee and theStudent and Faculty Education Improvement Study Group to reflect not only thevoices of faculty members, but the opinions and views of students in its activities aswell. It also promotes student volunteer activities in the regular curricula toencourage active contribution to society. It can be said that these mechanisms arefunctioning well.
With regard to education, the College has formulated its diploma policy,
curriculum policy, and admission policy in light of its purpose. It revises andimproves these policies every academic year from the perspective that “the threepolicies are not static and should be reviewed and revised in response to changing

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times and social demands.” In AY2019, the diploma policy was revised to reflect theCollege’s characteristics more clearly. In the Faculty of Humanities, a curriculum
map and subject numbering were developed for students to take courses
systematically and sequentially. To assess student learning outcomes, the College has
established a mechanism to visualize the achievement of the competencies set out inthe diploma policy based on the curriculum map, and the results are distributed tostudents as Learning Evaluation Sheets. Since AY2021, the College has ensured
credit substantiation by limiting the number of credits students can register in a year,and indicating in the syllabus the estimated number of required study hours before
and after class. Regarding the assessment of academic achievements, in AY2021 theCollege revised the GPA system from 5 to 12 levels and established assessment
guidelines to improve its rigor and objectivity.
The College’s notable efforts include consistent student support provided
throughout the four college years, such as course guidance and support for learning,
student life and careers, with a faculty member assigned to each student as an adviser
at the time of enrollment and in-person consultation provided. This commendable
effort is regarded as one of the factors keeping the absentee and dropout rates at alow level. In AY2022, the College began using the Learning Portfolio to understandand record the progress of students’ learning, campus life, and activities throughconsultations, which is expected to further enhance student support. With respect tosocial cooperation and contribution, the College provides organizational support for
student volunteer activities through the Volunteer Center and ties volunteer activities
to the credits of certain regular courses as a way to provide human and economic
support to volunteer clubs. These efforts are helping to create a culture and tradition
that encourage students to actively participate in volunteer activities, and are highly
commendable as they not only embody the College’s founding spirit but also return
the outcomes of the its educational and research activities back to the localcommunity.
There are issues the College needs to address, however. The School ofHumanities revised its curriculum policy in AY2022, but the new policy does notinclude the School’s fundamental views on curriculum design and implementation,
which should be corrected. The College’s financial situation should also be reviewed
as challenges to establishing a sound financial base necessary for carrying out stableeducational and research activities were identified.
Going forward, JUAA expects the College to set in place an internal
quality assurance system that has undergone repeated improvements and to expand2

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its unique efforts leading to further enhancement of its education.
Notable Strengths
Student SupportTo ensure a more fulfilling learning experience, the College assigns a faculty
member to each student as an adviser at the time of enrollment. The advisors
provide consistent support, such as course guidance and support for learning,
student life and careers tailored to the needs of each student. In collaboration
with the administrative staff of the Student Affairs Division, Academic Affairs
Division, and other relevant organizations, including the Student Affairs
Committee, the advisers share information about their students in the Student
Support Meeting organized every term by the Student Affairs Committee and thedepartment meetings, and make efforts to smoothly provide students withsupport. It is commendable that such an attentive student support system iseffectively preventing dropouts.

Social Cooperation and Contribution
Guided by the spirit of “Gratitude and Service” and the faculty advisors, students
provide support to people with Down Syndrome and autism and their families aswell as learning support for elementary and secondary school students with
developmental disorders in the local community through extracurricular
activities officially approved by the College. These long-standing activities areaddressing social issues in the community and contribute to building trust withlocal residents. It is commendable that these activities are highly regarded insociety. Moreover, in cooperation with the Volunteer Center, the College offers
the compulsory Studies in Voluntarism subject and the elective Volunteer
Practicum subject for first-year students to develop as persons who cancontribute to society. These commendable efforts not only embody the College’s
founding spirit but also return the outcomes of its educational and research
activities with student participation to the local community.

Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes3

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The curriculum policy developed by the School of Humanities for newlyenrolled students in and after AY2022 does not include the School’s fundamental
views on curriculum design and implementation, and requires improvement.

University Management and FinanceIn addition to the low ratio of financial assets to the required reserve fund, therate of carried over expenditures for next year to business income remains high,and it cannot be said that the solid financial base necessary for carrying out stableeducational and research activities has been established. The College should
ensure the steady implementation of measures to improve its financial profileand establish a sound financial base as stipulated in its medium- and long-term
financial plans.

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