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

Bunkyo University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Saitama, 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 Bunkyo University
Overview
Bunkyo University, founded on the spirit of “Empathy for All Humanity,” hasappropriately established educational and research purposes for all faculties andgraduate schools. The University specifies its educational philosophy and purpose inthe Bunkyo University Regulations (hereafter, the “University Regulations”) and thegraduate schools’ educational philosophy and purpose in the Bunkyo University
Graduate School Regulations (hereafter, the “Graduate School Regulations”). The
objectives of human resource development and other educational and research
activities for each faculty, department, graduate school, and major are properly
specified in the University Regulations or Graduate School Regulations. TheUniversity also formulated and implemented Bunkyo Action Plan 2021 (BunkyoUniversity Foundation Medium-term Management Plan) from AY2018, and theFoundation Management Strategy – Medium-term Management Plan Bunkyo Action
Plan 2025 from AY2021.
Regarding the University’s internal quality assurance activities, theUniversity Council adopted the Internal Quality Assurance Policy (Organizations andTheir Roles to Promote Internal Quality Assurance and the Internal Quality
Assurance Procedures) in 2019, and the Regulations on Promoting Bunkyo
University Internal Quality Assurance (hereafter, the “Promotion Regulations”) wasestablished in 2020. The President Policy Office, University Council, Graduate
School Committee, and Joint Faculty Council, formed as organizations promoting
university-wide internal quality assurance, work closely together under thepresident’s leadership to improve internal quality assurance. However, the Promotion
Regulations inadequately promotes internal quality assurance, the position of theJoint Faculty Council is unclear, and the inspection and assessment sheets forcommittees, centers, and other organizations are insufficient. These issues should beaddressed to better manage the internal quality assurance promotion organizations
and operate the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle.
As for education, the University has appropriately established the diplomaand curriculum policies. It is particularly commendable that the University’sfounding spirit of Empathy for All Humanity is embodied in the faculties’ curriculum
polices with the curricula reflecting the school’s education based on its founding1

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spirit. Student learning outcomes are monitored by adopting portfolios,competencies, and other measurement indicators, but for many faculties thesemethods are inadequate for measuring the learning outcomes specified in the diploma
policy. All graduate schools use interim report sessions and thesis reviews asindicators for measuring the student learning outcomes that correspond to thespecialized fields of study in each degree program, but the link with the diploma
policy is unclear. The University is expected to effectively measure the learning
outcomes stated in the diploma policy, and to utilize the measurement results forbetter learning contents and teaching methods in the future.
In terms of social cooperation and contribution, the Regional
Collaboration Center was established in 2020 to further promote activities based on
the University’s policy. While strengthening its system, the center offers variousactivities that include work experience programs for neighboring junior high schools,
internships for high schools, and cross-cultural experience workshops.
Regarding the University’s faculty organization, the number of full-time
faculty members meets the requirements of the Standards for the Establishment ofUniversities and Graduate Schools. However, the legally mandated number of fulltime faculty members was one short in the Department of International Tourism and
Hospitality Management, Faculty of International Studies, between AY2021 andAY2022. With some members set to retire at the end of AY2022, the University
recruited three people in AY2022 for appointment in April 2023. With the staff
shortage now resolved, the University should work to prevent similar situations fromoccurring in the future by operating the internal quality assurance system to examine
the appropriateness of faculty organization, and to maintain the organization with therequired number of faculty members.
The University should also address the issue of student enrollment as somegraduate school programs continue to fall short of fulfilling their student quotas. The
University is expected to make further improvements by continuing such measures
as stepping up its graduate school promotional and publicity activities forundergraduate students while carrying out other approaches under consideration.
In the coming years, the University is expected to progress further by more
properly structuring the organizations promoting internal quality assurance,
appropriately operating the university-wide PDCA cycle, and resolving different
issues through these efforts.

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Notable Strengths
Educational Program and Learning OutcomesTo foster the University’s founding spirit of Empathy for All Humanity,
Invitation to Bunkyo University was created as a required subject taught bymultiple lecturers for all first-year undergraduate students to deepen theirunderstanding of various aspects of the University ranging from its history andfaculties’ features to efforts to promote SDGs (Sustainable Development Goals)
and an inclusive society. In addition, the Faculty of Health and Nutrition offers
the Nurturing the Heart subject in conjunction with its qualification courses. The
Faculty of Business Administration has designed its curricula based on thediploma policy of “management with respect for humanity,” with first-year
Humanity and Business Administration and second-year Multiculture andManagement introduced as subjects for students to acquire specialized
knowledge in psychology, organizational theory, and management theory. It iscommendable that unique approaches have been adopted to promote a deeper
understanding of the University by reflecting its founding spirit in the curricula.

Suggestions for Improvement
Internal Quality Assurance
The Promotion Regulations stipulates the President Policy Office (President
Council and President Strategy Office), University Council, Graduate School
Committee, and Joint Faculty Council as organizations formed for promoting
university-wide internal quality assurance by working together to operate theinternal quality assurance system. However, the responsibilities and roles of theseorganizations are unclear, and the reporting process from the faculties, graduateschools, centers, and other groups to the meeting bodies is imprecise. This issue
should be addressed with the regulations reviewed to clarify the internal quality
assurance procedures based on actual conditions.

Educational Program and Learning Outcomes
The Faculty of Human Sciences, Faculty of Language and Literature, Faculty of3

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Information and Communications, Faculty of International Studies, and Facultyof Business Administration have introduced rubric evaluations for graduationtheses and other coursework, following the university-wide decision, and somefaculties use external tests to monitor student learning outcomes. However, thesemethods are not clearly linked to the diploma policies and inadequately monitor
and evaluate the learning outcomes stated in the policies. Moreover, the graduate
school programs monitor student learning outcomes based on the screening ofdissertations and other means, but the connection to the diploma policies isunclear. These issues should be addressed to properly monitor and evaluate theknowledge and skills stated in the diploma policies.
Student Enrollment
The ratios of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap are low at 0.20 in
the master’s course in the Graduate School of Education and 0.00 in the doctoral
course in the Graduate School of Human Sciences. These ratios should be
improved with the graduate schools’ student quotas thoroughly managed.

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