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

Hokkaido Bunkyo University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Hokkaido, Japan

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

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Hokkaido Bunkyo University
Overview
Hokkaido Bunkyo University (hereafter, the University) originally started as Hokkaido
Women’s Eiyo College , which was founded in 1942 and was renamed Hokkaido Eiyo
College in 1947 and Hokkaido Eiyo Junior College in 1963. Through reorganization in1999, the University was founded in Eniwa City, Hokkaido as a single-departmentcollege comprised of the Faculty of Foreign Languages. The University opened theFaculty of Human Science and the Graduate School of Global Communication(Master’s Program) in 2003, and following that, departments were added in the Facultyof Human Science, and then three departments in the Faculty of Foreign Languages
were combined into one department in 2010. With the establishment of the Graduate
School of Health and Nutritional Science (Master’s Program) in 2015, the University iscurrently comprised of two faculties (the Faculty of Foreign Languages and the Facultyof Human Science) and two graduate schools (the Graduate School of Global
Communication and the Graduate School of Health and Nutritional Science). TheUniversity established the Graduate School of Rehabilitation Science (Master’sProgram)and the Graduate School of Child Development (Master’s Program) in 2017.
The University conducts education and research activities based on the school
philosophy of “steady progress with purity and honesty.”
Following the previous accreditation review, the University set as major goals
the “Realization of the Philosophy and Purposes and Assurance and Enhancement ofUniversity Educational Quality” and “Transmission to Society” and built a structure inwhich the University Evaluation Committee, the University Reform General
Promotion Council, and the Education Development Center play central roles in efforts
towards improvement. In addition to regular curriculum revisions and other curriculum
improvements, the University has made efforts to improve and reform its education
and research activities including the establishment of the Graduate School of Healthand Nutritional Science and eight centers.
Cooperation with and contribution to society as an “open knowledge center”
are university-wide initiatives in which students also participate. In particular, support
for child-rearing education mainly at the Child-Rearing Education Community Support
Center (Bunkyo Penguin Room) and support for elementary and junior high schools

3through assistant teachers are initiatives taken by students and faculty members andother staff working as one beyond the borders of the university departments, leading to
not only contribution to the community but also higher learning motivation among
students, and this is worthy of special mention.
However, issues can be seen with respect to quota management in multiple
departments and those must be rectified. Issues can also be seen in matters such as thesetting of a limit on the number of credits for which undergraduate students canregister in a year and faculty development (FD) activities, FD activities and thesis
examination criteria with respect to graduate schools, and self-study in line withregulations with respect to the entire university, so it is necessary to rectify these issues
by ensuring that the internal quality assurance system functions.
Notable Strengths
Social Cooperation and Contribution
The Child-Rearing Education Community Support Center (Bunkyo PenguinRoom) continuously promotes community support activities through consultation,
open lectures and special lectures related to child-rearing as an opportunity forinteraction between parents and children in the community. Further, in addition toengagement with children by volunteer students, the Development Capability
Cultivation Program developed by the center is provided along with compulsory
lectures in the Department of Child Development and that leads to theenhancement of students’ motivation to learn. Since 2016, the same program has
been provided in the Maternity Nursing Practical Training by Child-Rearing
Support Facilities for students aiming to be nurses, including joint research
between the center and the Department of Nursing. It is commendable that that
program has become an initiative that extends beyond the borders of thedepartments.

Volunteer students at the Department of International Language Studies of theFaculty of Foreign Languages and the Department of Health and Nutrition and theDepartment of Child Development of the Faculty of Human Science provide
support for classes in local elementary and junior high schools once a week asassistant teachers. That has a learning effect for the students before starting4teaching practice as pre-practice, and serves as an opportunity for students wishing
to become teachers to develop an awareness of their career paths. Further, since2016, it has become possible for every elementary and junior high school in thecity to accept assistant teachers, and it is commended that that is leading to not
only contribution to the community but also to the enhancement of students’motivation to learn.
Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome

At the Department of Health and Nutrition and the Department of Child
Development of the Faculty of Human Science, although it is not necessarily
essential to pass a national examination and acquire a national qualification or toacquire eligibility for admission to a national examination, students can registerfor a number of credits exceeding the predetermined limit. Further, at theDepartment of Child Development, although the subjects of the teacher’s licenseprogram are counted in the graduation requirements, students can register for anumber of credits exceeding the limit, and there is effectively no limit on thenumber of credits for which students can register in a year, so that needs to berectified in light of the purpose of the credit system.

The Faculty of Human Science does not conduct its own FD activities for theentire faculty to improve educational content and methods, etc., and theDepartment of Child Development of the Faculty of Human Science conducts nosuch activities. The Graduate School of Global Communication does not conduct
such activities either. The University should work to rectify these issues.

The Graduate School of Health and Nutritional Science has no clearly written
thesis examination criteria for Master’s program. The University should address
this issue by clearly stipulating the criteria in the Student Handbook or othermaterials.

5Internal Quality AssuranceAn internal quality assurance system is in place based on the Internal Quality
Assurance Policy, but the University as a whole does not systematically andsufficiently conduct a regular self-study other than when it undergoes a periodic
certified accreditation review, and it cannot be said that the system to link theresults of self-study to improvements is properly functioning. This issue needs tobe addressed in the future by the University to conduct self-study in accordancewith that policy and link the results to improvements and advancement, and toannounce the results to the public, thereby ensuring that the internal quality
assurance system functions properly.

Area of Serious ConcernEnrollment
The average of ratios of freshman enrollment to the freshman enrollment cap overthe last five years and the ratio of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap
are low at the Faculty of Foreign Languages at 0.76 and 0.79, respectively, andthey are high at the Department of Physical Therapy of the Faculty of Human
Science with both at 1.28 and at the Department of Occupational Therapy of theFaculty of Human Science at 1.20 and 1.21, respectively. These must be improved.