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

Yamagata Prefectural Yonezawa University of Nutrition Sciences

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

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2020
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April.1.2021 – March.31.2028）

Yamagata Prefectural Yonezawa University of Nutrition Sciences

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Yamagata Prefectural Yonezawa University of Nutrition Sciences
Overview
Aiming to “contribute to healthy and affluent lives for Yamagata’s residents”, YamagataPrefectural Yonezawa University of Nutrition Sciences opened in 2014 by developing
the Department of Health and Nutrition of Yamagata Prefectural Yonezawa Women’sJunior College, which is part the same educational corporation, into a four-year
university. It consists of a Department of Health and Nutrition, a Faculty of Health andNutrition, and a graduate school master’s program based on that. In order to realize its
objectives, the University has drawn up a mid-term plan under its establishing body, theYamagata Prefecture Public University Corporation, and is working to further enhancethe education and research that it conducts.
With respect to education, both the undergraduate and graduate divisions havedesigned their curricula appropriately in line with the degree award policy andcurriculum design and implementation policy. At the undergraduate level, the curriculum
focuses on the training of dietitians, and efforts are made to teach students about the foodand history of Yamagata Prefecture through lectures and practical training. At thegraduate level, the aim is to develop nutrition professionals with advanced specialized
knowledge, practical skills, and research and survey skills. To this end, in addition tocourse work in the form of “Advanced Nutrition Science” (divided into basic andadvanced courses) and supervised research work, an emphasis is placed on the inclusionof internship courses in the curriculum.
The University runs the only training course for registered dietitians in
Yamagata Prefecture, and conducts advanced research on nutritional science in its
graduate program. Taking advantage of these features, the University is actively engaged
in social contribution activities under its Community Outreach and Research Promotion
Center, to which all full-time faculty members belong. Specifically, the University
provides learning opportunities for those involved in nutrition and related professions incooperation with the prefectural Dietitians’ Association and other related organizations.
It also contributes to the health of the prefecture’s residents via activities such as the“Salt Reduction Project”, in which students and faculty participate. This is highly
commendable because it is expected to contribute to the realization of the University’s
mission and purpose, and to the development in Yamagata prefecture of both “a thinktank role for research on health and nutrition” and “a center for lifelong learning for1

Yamagata Prefectural Yonezawa University of Nutrition Sciences

those involved in nutrition”.
However, there are several issues that should be addressed. Firstly, with respect
to the measurement of learning outcomes at the undergraduate level, although the passrate for the relevant national examination is used as the primary indicator, there is a needto develop, measure, and apply more multifaceted indicators in order to understand theabilities, as stipulated in the University’s degree award policy, that are expected ofstudents when they graduate from the undergraduate program. In addition, there are nouniversity-specific faculty development (referred to below as “FD”) activities at thegraduate school. Therefore, there is a need to conduct systematic training to improve thequality of education, such as approaches to research supervision.
In terms of internal quality assurance to guarantee and improve the quality ofeducation on a constant and ongoing basis, although the University’s mid-term plan
includes goals relating to internal quality assurance, the University has not clearly statedits policies and procedures for implementing such. In addition, although the “Mid-term
Plan Implementation Committee” conducts annual reviews of the yearly plans that arebased on the mid-term plan, these only ascertain the expected achievements of the midterm plan, and there is nothing to suggest that substantial checks and reviews to identify
strengths and challenges are being conducted. In addition, although the Mid-term PlanImplementation Committee is designated as the organization responsible for conducting
internal quality assurance, the authority and division of roles among the main bodies
involved in internal quality assurance, such as the “Education and Research AdvisoryCouncil” and the “Management Advisory Council”, are not clearly defined, and the Midterm Plan Implementation Committee is not structured to fulfill its role as anorganization for cooperating with the relevant bodies to facilitate internal quality
assurance. It is essential that these points be rectified, and the internal quality assurance
process that leads to improvements based on the results of checks and reviews be madeto function under the management of the internal quality assurance implementation
organizations.
Going forward, we hope that the University will solve these issues throughinternal quality assurance efforts and further develop highly distinctive educational
activities and initiatives.
Notable Strengths
Social Cooperation and Contribution

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Yamagata Prefectural Yonezawa University of Nutrition Sciences

 In terms of social cooperation and contribution, the University’s Community
Outreach and Research Promotion Center serves as a base for promoting researchand social activities, including participation in prefectural policies and projects
relating to health promotion and seminars for certified nutritionists. These activities
are conducted from two perspectives that represent the universities distinctive
features: performing a think tank role for research on health and nutrition and aproviding a center for lifelong learning for those involved in nutrition. All full-time
faculty members belong to this center, and the center not only publicizes the researchand social activities it is conducting, but also engages proactively in regional
collaboration-based research and activities that reflect social trends and policies,
such as by proposing research and social activities for which there will be a pressing
need in the future. The activities and features of this center are commendable
because, as a center for research and social activities in the local area, it can beexpected to return the University’s research outcomes to society.
Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes

At the undergraduate level, GPA and the results of the national dieticians’
examination are used as indicators to measure learning outcomes. However, fromthe perspective of ascertaining learning outcomes, as indicated in the degree award
policy, this is not sufficient. Improvements are required accordingly.

Faculty and Faculty Organization


No graduate school-specific FD activities relating to educational improvement areconducted, so improvements should be made to ensure that they are implemented
appropriately.

Recommendation
Internal Quality Assurance Although the University’s mid-term plan includes goals relating to internal quality
assurance, the University has not drawn up policies and procedures for3

Yamagata Prefectural Yonezawa University of Nutrition Sciences

implementing such, and its approach to internal quality assurance remains unclear.
In addition, although the “Mid-term Plan Implementation Committee” conducts
annual reviews of the yearly plans that are based on the mid-term plan, these only
ascertain the expected achievements of the mid-term plan, and no substantial checks
and reviews to identify strengths and challenges are being conducted. In addition,although the “Mid-term Plan Implementation Committee” is designated as theorganization responsible for conducting internal quality assurance, the powers anddivision of roles among the main bodies involved in internal quality assurance, suchas the “Education and Research Advisory Council” and the “Management AdvisoryCouncil,” are not clearly defined, and the Mid-term Plan Implementation Committee
is not structured to fulfill its role as an organization for cooperating with the relevantbodies to facilitate internal quality assurance. In light of the above, the University
should establish policies and procedures for internal quality assurance, clearlyspecify the powers and division of roles among the bodies involved in the University
regulations, identify strengths and issues through checks and reviews in an
appropriate manner, and make the internal quality assurance process that leads toimprovements based on the results of these checks and reviews function under themanagement of the internal quality assurance implementation organizations.

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