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

St. Luke's International University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2021
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April.1.2022 – March 31, 2029）

St. Luke’s International University

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor St. Luke’s International University

Overview
St. Luke’s International University, grounded in the spirit of Christianity, defines its
purpose as “to contribute to the health and welfare of all people, both domesticallyand globally, through its educational, academic, and practical activities in the fieldsof nursing and public health.” In 2017, in light of the University’s philosophy andpurpose of emphasizing public health and prevention activities, a new Graduate
School of Public Health was established. In addition, a medium-term vision for theperiod from 2018 to 2025 has been drawn up under the theme “The Art of Quality,”
aiming to enhance and develop the University’s educational and research activities.
For internal quality assurance, a system is in place where the “Self-Evaluation
Committee,” a standing committee directly under the President, works with the“Education Management Committee” and the “University Management Council” tosupport the PDCA cycles of faculties, graduate schools, etc. and promoteimprovements. However, the positioning, roles, powers, and responsibilities of thevarious organizations involved in internal quality assurance, as well as thecooperation and division of roles between them, are unclear, while the systems,
methods, and processes for verifying the suitability of education and other various
activities, and for making improvements and enhancements, are not sufficient.
Improvements are required to clarify these issues and further improve thefunctionality of academic management.
In terms of education, educational activities at both the undergraduate andgraduate levels are based on the concept of “People-Centered Care” (PCC), with theundergraduate faculty indicating the structure and sequence of courses by means ofcurriculum maps and course numbers assigned to each curriculum group. Active
learning such as Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and Team-Based Learning (TBL)
are actively incorporated into classes to promote independent learning among
students. At the graduate level, curricula are designed to appropriately combine
research work and coursework in accordance with the characteristics of each course.
It may also be acknowledged that the university is actively working to create anenvironment that supports self-learning, such as by keeping the library open at all
hours, enhancing the Learning Commons, and assigning instructors to the “ArtsRoom” (Nursing Practical Training Room).
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Notable achievements include health support for the public through the “St.
Luke's Health Navigation Spot: Lukenavi” and “Nurse Clinic,” health lectures incollaboration with companies and local governments, personnel training for maternaland child health in seven countries in Asia and Africa, and other efforts led by theCenter for International and Community Partnerships that draw on the University’s
resources and talent to share the fruits of its educational and research activities withpeople and nursing facilities at home and abroad.
On the other hand, the curriculum policy of the Graduate School of Nursing is
not specific enough to take into account the characteristics of the various courses anddoes not clearly state the basic approach to implementation. This should be improved.
Going forward, the JUAA hopes that the University will resolve its issues
through internal quality assurance efforts, develop many distinctive initiatives thatreflect the University’s philosophy and objectives and the demands of society, andmake further progress through tireless efforts and reforms.
Notable Strengths
Social Cooperation and Contribution
 “St. Luke’s Health Navi Spot: Lukenavi” works with citizen volunteers toprovide health counseling, health checkups, and other health information
services. In addition, it is commendable that the university nursing faculty
members act as “proprietors” of the “Nurse Clinic” for people from a diverse
range of backgrounds living in the community, partnering with citizen volunteers
and non-university professionals to address patient concerns that cannot be
addressed in the hospital, while also applying the knowledge gained throughthese efforts to education and research. In addition, the University has delivered
positive outcomes in the regions of Asia and Africa, such as developing local
trainees, nurses, and midwives in maternal and child health care, and using theseresearch centers as field sites for international students and Japanese students inthe doctoral program, leading to the creation of new research topics. It iscommendable that the University is giving back to the international communityand providing opportunities for practical education in People-Centered Care toits students in this way.
Suggestions for Improvement
Internal Quality Assurance Although the University has established a Self-Evaluation Committee as a2

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university-wide organization for internal quality assurance and states that it hasestablished a policy in the committee’s regulations, it lacks clarity as a policy forinternal quality assurance and does not provide for specific procedures. Inaddition, the committee mainly responds to external evaluations andaccreditation evaluations, and its position, role, powers, and responsibilities as
an internal quality assurance promotion body, as well as the division of roles andcooperation with other organizations such as the University Management
Council and Academic Management Council are unclear. As such, it is difficult
to say that the internal quality assurance system has been sufficiently developed.
In the future, in addition to policies and procedures for internal quality assurance,
the powers and roles associated with the system should be clarified, andimprovements should be made to make the internal quality assurance system
function at a higher level, with the Self-Evaluation Committee playing a centralrole.
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes The Master’s and Doctoral Programs of the Graduate School of Nursing Scienceand the Doctoral Program of the Graduate School of Public Health do not
sufficiently indicate their basic approach to curriculum design andimplementation. This should be improved accordingly.
University Management and Finance While the ratio of financial assets to the required reserve fund has maintained acertain level, it is on a declining trend, and the operational income andexpenditure balance ratio for the university division and the corporation as awhole has remained negative. Despite the worsening financial situation, no
financial plan has been developed. Further efforts are required to establish thefinancial base necessary to carry out educational and research activities bydeveloping a medium- to long-term financial plan with clear, specific numericaltargets and steadily implementing measures to implement the plan.

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