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

Kurume University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Fukuoka, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2013
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period:April.01.2014 – March.31.2021）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Kurume University
Notable Strengths
Educational content, methods, and outcome

It is commendable that the School of Medicine emphasizes students’ written
reflection activity for the purpose of cultivating the ability to think when they are
face-to-face with patients. In the School of Medicine, all students set their own
objectives for the year on the first day of the school year. The objectives are shown
to the student’s guardian in November, and the student looks back them at the endof the school year. Regarding daily experiments and practicums, the portfolio andreports always have a column for reflection, and students are constantly required to
do self-evaluation. This is an appropriate way to foster practical persons of talent
proposed in the mission statement of the University.

It is commendable that the University offers experience-based practical classes thatcultivate active learning as a way to achieve the mission of the University. The
Psychology Internship in the Department of Psychology and the Practicum andSeminar in the Department of Information Sociology in the Faculty of Literatureoffer original practicums through collaboration with the professor in charge andthose organizations that accept student interns. The students are actively involvedin the operation of the classes; for example, they conduct the prior investigation,
make presentations, and publish a final report.

It is commendable that the Student-Faculty Communication Conference is aneffective means to improve education content and teaching methods. The Graduateand Professional School of Law holds the annual Student-Faculty Communication
Conference, which accepts broad opinions and requests on the curriculum,facilities, and student life from student representatives. The curriculum wasreformed as a consequence of the Conference, and the Conference is well-regardedby students.

Student support

It is commendable that the School of Medicine offers detailed and careful support
paying attention to the needs of each student. To support students in their studies,
the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing place a professor in charge eachyear. The School of Medicine has a long-lasting and successful on-campus
consulting system, and the same professor takes care of the same small group ofstudents from freshman year to graduation. The School of Nursing has introduced
an advisor system, and the School holds a Class Communication Meeting as wellas individual guidance sessions when necessary, and provides appropriate
supervision. The School of Nursing also addresses the needs of students with
developmental disabilities by implementing campus-wide measures incollaboration with the pediatricians in the School of Medicine.

Social cooperation and contribution
It is commendable that the University has made an effective contribution to thelocal communities by promoting voluntary participation of students to social
collaboration and social contribution activities, and at the same time participation

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to these activities facilitate the growth of their autonomy In the Faculty ofLiterature, through the Syu-Katsu (Revitalization by Japanese wine) Project andthe Sweets Project, students developed products in collaboration with local
industries to help revitalize the local area. Also, the International Center makes asignificant contribution to the local community by sending international students asinterpreters or counselors for the foreign residents of Kurume City.
It is commendable that the University’s academy—industry—governmentcollaboration effort has produced good results and made contribution to the localcommunities. Working with the Kurume City Office and local industries, theUniversity established the Investigative Commission for
Academy—Industry—Government Collaboration, and started an effort to create a
new industry by integrating the needs of local industries with the research results
prepared by the University. The Investigative Commission chose the issues ofcaring and rehabilitation, and produced good results contributing the local
community by creating the first prototype of equipment to move a person from a
bed to a wheelchair.

Administration and financeIt is commendable that the Mentoring System has improved the quality of the staff,
and the fostering cycle is working effectively. The Mentoring System is a training
opportunity offered to the new staff. The responsible mentor regularly sets
objectives for each new staff member, who then reports on his or her achievements.
The mentoring staff or the immediate manager make comments on the reports,
facilitate reflective activities, and give appropriate directions or advices.

Internal quality assuranceIt is commendable that the internal quality assurance system of each unit works
effectively in increasing awareness for the review and evaluation process andclarifying future agendas. Each Faculty, School, and Institute works appropriatelywith the PDCA cycle. Based on the results of evaluation summarized by theIndividual Self-Study and Evaluation Committee, the University's Specialized
Self-Study Committee examines results across Faculties and Schools, and theEntire School Self-Study and Evaluation Committee, headed by the University
President examines the current situation alongside University policy forimprovement and reform. When necessary, the University may set up the Advisory
Committee under the President. In addition, the External Evaluation Committee
was set up in order to objectively examine the appropriateness of the review andevaluation activities, and reinforces the internal quality assurance system.

Suggestions for Improvement
Educational content, methods, and outcomeRegarding degree granting policy, the Graduate School of Medicine and theGraduate School of Comparative Studies of International Cultures and Societies donot define the required outcomes, competencies, and standards for completing theprograms. In the Faculty of Literature, the requirements for completing theprograms are not clearly differentiated from the purpose of fostering persons oftalent, and in the Graduate School of Business Administration, those requirements
are not concrete. These points should be improved. In the Graduate School ofPsychology, the design and implementation of the curriculum is not clearly

4differentiated from the purpose of fostering the persons of talent or the purpose ofeducation. This should be improved.
In the School of Medicine, the plan for research guidance is not widely
disseminated to the students. This should be improved.

The Graduate School of Comparative Studies of International Cultures andSocieties has not offered any faculty development activities of its own to improveeducational content and methods. This should be improved.

The criteria for examining degree-seeking thesis is monolithic, and each Schooland program should set its own criteria.

In the School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Comparative Studies ofInternational Cultures and Societies, and the Graduate School of Psychology, somestudents complete all the requirements except the dissertation, and leave theuniversity before completing their dissertation requirement within the time limit.
Later, when these students submit their dissertations, even though they do not haveenrollment status, they are granted doctoral degrees in the same manner as thosestudents continuously enrolled. This is not an appropriate use of the system. The
University needs to reconsider the criteria for granting doctoral degrees by way ofadvanced course work, and in accordance with the purpose of having doctoral
program, the university should also create measures to improve the rate of degreecompletion within the required time frame.

Enrollment
In the acceptance policy of the Faculty of Commerce, the student expectations are
not clearly defined. This should be improved.

The average of the ratios the last five year of enrolled freshmen to the freshman
admission cap is high at 1.22 in the Department of Social Welfare in the Faculty ofLiterature. The ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap is high at
1.02 in the School of Medicine, and low at 0.27 in the Graduate and Professional
School of Law. These numbers should be improved.

The ratio of transfer students to the transfer student admission cap is low at 0.00 inthe Department of Psychology, at 0.14 in the Department of Information Sociology,
at 0.50 in the Department of Intercultural Studies, and at 0.00 in the Department ofSocial Welfare in the Faculty of Literature, at 0.54 in the Department ofJurisprudence and at 0.20 in the Department of International Politics in the Facultyof Law, and at 0.47 in the Department of Economics and at 0.20 in the Departmentof Cultural Economics in the Faculty of Economics. These numbers should beimproved.

Administration and financeDepending on the scale of campus improvement project begun in 2013 under theSchool Corporation Kurume University Basic Vision Formulating Committee, it isunavoidable that the financial situation of the University will decline. Hereafter,
following the base fund allocation plan that correlates with the campus
improvement project, the University should secure specific assets for allocation in
the budget for each year.