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

Hokusei Gakuen University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Hokkaido, Japan

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

Hokusei Gakuen University

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Hokusei Gakuen University
Overview
Hokusei Gakuen University, founded on the spirit of Protestantism, defines its
fundamental principle of “educating independent people who have informed opinions
and a sense of responsibility, and who contribute to society” based on “intellectualintegrity,” and cites the goal of becoming a “an educational institution that is open to
the local community, society, and the world..” The University also sets forth thepurpose of “fostering a broad range of knowledge based on Christian character
education, conducting in-depth specialized academic teaching and research, anddeveloping students’ intellectual and applied abilities” To realize its founding spirit,fundamental principle, and purpose, the University strives to maintain and enhance
the quality of its educational and research activities through the aspiration to becomea new university of the humanities and social sciences with a focus on Christiancharacter education and fostering humanity, social skills, and an international
mindset, in addition to teaching informatics, science, technology, engineering, andmathematics. This ambition is laid out in the Hokusei Gakuen Medium- to Long-term
Plan –Grand Design 2020-2040 (hereafter, the “Medium- to Long-term Plan”)
formulated as an action plan of the corporation that established the University.
Regarding the University’s internal quality assurance, the body in charge
was reorganized as the University Evaluation and Quality Assurance Committee in2019 to develop a new internal quality assurance system, and self-studies have been
carried out since AY2021 to monitor the progress of the Medium- to Long-term Plan.
However, the new system does not clarify the roles of neither the Departmental
Chairperson Committee tasked with deliberating and deciding on the medium- tolong-term issues nor the University Evaluation and Quality Assurance Committee
serving as a body promoting internal quality assurance. Their roles also overlap thoseof other meeting bodies involved in internal quality assurance. This situation
indicates that the roles and coordination of the internal quality assurance system areinadequate. Reorganization is necessary to develop an internal quality assurance
system that conducts more effective self-studies, but the meeting bodies in charge
should be restructured once again for this purpose. Moreover, the undergraduate andgraduate schools have failed to conduct systematic self-studies. This issue should beaddressed with inspections and assessments undertaken in an appropriate way.

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Hokusei Gakuen University

As for the University’s education, all undergraduate and graduate schools
have established curriculum policies in line with the diploma policies, with theircurricula properly designed. All undergraduate schools have created curriculum maps
to clarify the curriculum structure and the connections among the subjects, and acourse numbering system has been introduced to encourage students to take subjects
in a systematic and sequential way. In addition, each department adopts active
learning methods in specialized education subjects to help students independently put
what they learn in lectures to practical use. To monitor and evaluate student learningoutcomes, the School of Humanities has designed a rubric articulating eachdepartment’s diploma policy by item and level for students to reflect on their studies.
The other undergraduate and graduate schools are still in the process of developing
methods to monitor and evaluate the learning outcomes stated in the diploma policies.
Efforts should be made to measure student learning outcomes after informing the trial
results university-wide, and to visualize the knowledge and skills students haveacquired.
The University has undertaken notable initiatives to implement character
education stipulated in its purpose. The University has created an environment forstudents to help and learn from each other through the Hokusei Peer Supporter
system, along with a note-taking support mechanism for students with disabilities. It
is highly commendable that the University promotes the growth of student supporters
while contributing to its mission statement of educating independent people who cancontribute to society.
However, there are issues described above that the University needs toaddress regarding the internal quality assurance system, systematic self-study, andmonitoring and evaluating the learning outcomes stated in the diploma policy. In
addition, some programs of the graduate schools have low ratios of student
enrollment to the student enrollment cap that should be improved with the graduate
schools stepping up their student recruitment activities.
The University is striving to improve and enhance the quality of its
education while connecting with society by regularly soliciting opinions andevaluations from government agencies, the local business community, and otherentities to ensure the objectivity and validity of its overall self-study activities. In thecoming years, the University is expected to progress further by streamlining its
internal quality assurance system to address the above issues, enhancing its
distinctive initiatives that include student support services, and promoting
educational and social contribution activities, thereby realizing its fundamental

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principle, purpose, and mission statement.
Notable Strengths
Student Support


The Hokusei Peer Supporter system was established to encourage students to
help and learn from each other. Upper-year students and graduates as peer
supporters hold orientation and course guidance sessions for new students, andoffer consultation and other services in the Learning Commons. In addition,note-taking assistance is provided to the hearing impaired by students who havecompleted the University’s training course. These support services help bothstudents giving and receiving assistance to grow. It is commendable that thesestudent activities are conducive to the University’s mission statement ofeducating independent people who can contribute to society.

Suggestions for Improvement
Internal Quality AssuranceProgress management of the University’s self-study and Medium- to Long-term
Plan has been integrated since AY2021, but the roles of the University Evaluation
and Quality Assurance Committee serving as an organization promoting internal
quality assurance and the Departmental Chairperson Committee tasked withformulating medium- to long-term plans are inadequate. In fact, the University
Management Board and the University Education Board are positioned asuniversity-wide teaching and learning management organizations participatingin the activities. This situation indicates that the roles and coordination of themeeting bodies involved in internal quality assurance are not functioning
properly. Moreover, the undergraduate and graduate schools have failed to carryout systematic self-studies. The University should address these issues byreviewing the internal quality assurance policy, procedures, and relevant
regulations before implementing self-study activities, and by developing amechanism to manage improvement and support measures based on the selfstudy results.

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Hokusei Gakuen University

Educational Program and Learning OutcomesAll undergraduate schools, excluding the School of Humanities, and graduate
schools gather information on career development based on the departments’specialized fields of study to monitor student learning outcomes, but their effortsare inadequately linked to the learning outcomes stated in the diploma polices.
This issue should be addressed.

Student Enrollment
The ratios of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap are low at 0.38 in
the Master’s Program of the Graduate School of Literature and 0.46 in theMaster’s Program of the Graduate School of Social Welfare. These ratios shouldbe improved with the graduate schools’ student quotas thoroughly managed.

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