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

Kyorin University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2015
Accreditation Status: Accredited（Accreditation Period: April.01.2016 – March.31.2023）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Kyorin University
Overview
Kyorin University (hereafter, the University) originated in Mitaka City, Tokyo in 1966 as
Kyorin Junior College to train clinical laboratory technicians with the founding spirit “topursue truth, goodness, and beauty.” It opened the Faculty of Medicine and a university
hospital under a new name, Kyorin University, in 1970 and continued its expansion toestablish the Faculty of Health Sciences, the Faculty of Social Sciences, and the Facultyof Foreign Studies on the Hachioji Campus (Hachioji City, Tokyo). It opened theGraduate School of Medicine, the Graduate School of Health Sciences, and the Graduate
School of International Cooperation Studies in succession and currently has four faculties
and three graduate schools. With the scheduled relocation of its campus from Hachioji toInokashira in 2016, the University is expected to promote educational studies with thesynthesis of humanities and sciences under the integrated theme of “Local Communityand University.”
After its accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association(JUAA) in 2008, the University has developed a mechanism for improving its education
and research activities led by the midterm planning committee, and has made efforts toimprove education and research activities while targeting two major goals of “closecooperation of two medical faculties and two faculties of humanities” and “the local
community and the university.” The University has declared a policy of cooperation withlocal communities and has made comprehensive agreements with Mitaka City, Hachioji
City, and Hamura City. Furthermore, the Center for Comprehensive RegionalCollaboration(CCRC) links issues from the local community with the curriculum of eachdepartment and offers appropriate policy recommendations as well as medical and healthsupport, and makes social contributions with skills in foreign languages. It is notable that
the University, by fully utilizing the resources of a comprehensive university, has madeefforts to contribute to local communities to help solve their challenges and maintaintheir vitality. Meanwhile, problem exist in enrollment management and in supports forholdovers and dropouts in the faculties, departments, and graduate schools. TheUniversity should review its policy for designing and implementing the curriculum andthe admission policies and make the internal quality assurance system more effective sothat it can help improve the system.
Notable Strengths
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome

It is commendable that the University has developed a curriculum that helps students
see social phenomena from different perspectives and systematically encourages
persons of talent to serve the local community. The University promotescollaboration with the local community. The Faculty of Social Sciences and theFaculty of Foreign Studies have launched a required course called “LocalCommunity and University” in an effort to propose policy recommendations,revitalize foreign languages instruction, and enhance sightseeing business. The
Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Health Sciences (except the Department ofMedical Radiological Technology) have offered required courses on community
healthcare, disaster prevention, and health.

It is commendable that each faculty has made efforts to improve its specificeducational method that reflects its specialty. For example, the Faculty of Social
Sciences and the Faculty of Foreign Studies have sent faculty members to3universities abroad to learn cutting-edge educational methods, such as the teaching ofspecialized subjects in English. After receiving feedback from such faculty members
upon their return, workshops have been held that target improved teaching across theuniversity. The Faculty of Foreign Studies also published the outcomes of faculty
development (FD) activities in the FD newsletter in an effort to share the activities
among the faculty members. Finally, the Faculty of Social Sciences provides faculty
members with opportunities to learn how to improve their teaching methods, advance
preparation and management of classes and initiate team teaching.
Social Cooperation and Contribution

It is commendable that the University has made contributions to solve local issues
and revitalize the community by using its resources as a comprehensive university.
At the same time, students are learning about the role that the University serves in thecommunity. In particular, the University has been working with students and theCCRC to address local issues, such as the aging and education of local societies withregard to the comprehensive agreement with Mitaka City, Hachioji City, and Hamura
City. Faculties have also made efforts to contribute to the community. For example,
the Faculty of Social Sciences has suggested solutions to local issues in cooperation
with the local commerce and industry association; the Faculty of Medicine and theFaculty of Health Sciences have supported after-hours medical care as well as healthand disaster-prevention activities; and the Faculty of Foreign Studies supports
English education and offers assistance in translating sightseeing materials intoEnglish.

Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome

In general, the curriculum design policies of faculties and graduate schools (exceptthe Faculty of Foreign Studies) define the expertise to be developed but do notpresent the basic concept of their education. This should be improved. In theGraduate School of Health Sciences and the Graduate School of International
Cooperation Studies, the master’s and doctoral programs do not have separate
curriculum design policies. This should also be improved.

The syllabus of each faculty (except that of the Faculty of Medicine) describes only
the topics covered in classes. The syllabus should be revised to meet the needs ofstudents’ learning.

Enrollment
The Graduate School of Health Sciences does not have separate admission policies
for the master’s and doctoral programs. This should be improved.

The ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap is low at 0.89 in theDepartment of Health and Welfare in the Faculty of Health Sciences, at 0.86 in theDepartment of Policy Studies, at 0.83 in the Department of Business Administrationin the Faculty of Social Sciences, and at 0.44 in the master’s program in Graduate
School of International Cooperation Studies. The average of the ratios of the last fiveyears of enrolled freshmen to the freshman admission cap is high at 1.20 in theDepartment of Medical Technology and 1.21 in the Department of Paramedics in theFaculty of Health Sciences. These numbers should be improved.

4The ratio of transferred students to the transfer student cap is low at 0.08 in theDepartment of Nursing in the Faculty of Health Sciences, 0.20 in the Department ofPolicy Studies, 0.40 in the Department of Business Administration in the Faculty ofSocial Sciences, 0.30 in the Department of English, 0.33 in the Department ofHospitality and Tourism, and 0.40 in the Department of Chinese Communication inthe Faculty of Foreign Studies. These numbers should be improved.

Student Support
The Faculty of Social Sciences and the Faculty of Foreign Studies represent thehighest number of dropouts in the lower class. Efforts should be made to support
students more systematically.

Area of Serious ConcernEnrollment
The Department of Chinese Communication in the Faculty of Foreign Studies is low
at 0.87 in the average of the ratios of the last five years of enrolled freshmen to thefreshman admission cap and at 0.69 in the ratio of enrolled students to the studentenrollment cap. These numbers must be improved.