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

Konan University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Hyogo, 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 Konan University
Notable Strengths
Educational content, methods, and outcome

It is commendable that the Faculty of Science and Engineering provides space forstudents to learn from and teach each other, and facilitates the improvement of basic
academic abilities through voluntary student learning. The Faculty of Science andEngineering has set up its own Consultation Office for Studying for the purpose ofadvising each student. Experienced part-time faculty work for the office and provide
guidance to students.

It is commendable that the information gleaned through classroom observations isshared by all faculty members via faculty meetings, and that faculty members aremaking efforts to improve their instruction and guidance to the students. The Facultyand School of Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology hold open
lectures and mutual observation of these lectures by other faculty as a part of theirfaculty development activities. They compile the reviews of open lectures (includingcomments on the method of instruction and the content of the class) in the “T-Learning
Report, and circulate it within the faculty.”

It is commendable that the faculty responsible for faculty development has a cooperative
relationship with the Graduate Student Committee. In the Graduate School ofHumanities the Graduate Student Committee for the Improvement of Instruction consistsof a student representative from each major, and is responsible for gathering student
opinions and listening to student requests. The faculty reviews the students’ opinions andrequests, and responds to the chair of the Graduate Student Committee. This facilitates
the improvement of curriculum and method of teaching.

It commendable that the “Polyvalent” System provides detailed guidance to students thatconsiders their individual progress, research interests, and future career, and also
provides multiple perspectives on each student’s research. This system also supports thediversification and sophistication of one's specialized field. The School of Frontiers ofInnovative Research in Science and Technology implements the “Polyvalent”System, inwhich the faculty are divided into three major groups, the nano group, the bio group, andthe nano-bio group. The major advisor and faculty belong to the same group or different
groups to collectively provide guidance to graduate students.

Student support

It is commendable that “My Lab” is actively used by the students for various purposessuch as exchanges outside of classes and holding study sessions. The seats are set up insuch a way that the students from different classes sit next to each other. In the Facultyof Frontiers of Innovative Research in Science and Technology, “My Lab” has been set
up as a voluntary study space for students. “My Lab” is spacious enough toaccommodate all enrolled students from Freshmen to Juniors.

Social cooperation and contribution
It is commendable that Konan University Regional Liaison Center (KOREC) has been
involved in volunteer activities supporting restoration efforts in the disaster area of theGreat East Japan Earthquake, the promotion of a community renovation project inHigashinada-ku in Kobe City, with whom the University signed a regional collaborationagreement, and the promotion of open access to the University library and the Cyber3

Library for local residents. KOREC has been set up as an organization that promotes
cooperation between the University and the local community. It promotes volunteer
efforts and regional collaboration activities as a part of its educational mission.
Suggestions for Improvement
Educational content, methods, and outcomeNeither the Master’s nor the doctoral programs in the School of Frontiers of Innovative
Research in Science and Technology define the required learning outcomes forcompleting the programs in their degree granting policies. This should be improved.

The Graduate School of Humanities lists the Faculty of Humanities undergraduate
courses as “related basic courses” without differentiating the grading methods according
to the levels of the students. From the perspective of quality assurance of degree courses,
this needs to be improved.

The syllabi have a unified format throughout the entire University, but the contents ofthe syllabi vary in their specificities, and some lack specifics in the descriptions ofevaluation of students or the lecture content. The syllabi should be improved.

The maximum number of credits students can register for per year has been set high at
60 for transfer students in the Department of Biology, with no limit in other departmentsin the Faculty of Science and Engineering. The maximum number of credits students canregister for per year has been set high at 60 for third- and fourth-years of transfer
students in the Faculty of Economics, third-year transfer students in the Faculty of Law,
and third-year transfer students in the Faculty of Intelligence and Informatics. These
departments should improve this in accordance with the purpose of having a creditsystem.

Enrollment
The ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap is high at 1.25 in theDepartment of Sociology and at 1.27 in the Department of History and Culture in theFaculty of Letters, and at 1.23 in the Faculty of Intelligence and Informatics. Thesedepartments should improve the numbers. Also, in the Faculty of Science andEngineering, the ratio has improved some, but the ratios are high at 1.21 throughout theFaculty, and the Department of Physics, the Department of Biology, and at 1.20 in theDepartment of Chemistry of Functional Molecules. These departments should improve
the numbers.

Education and research environmentA full-time librarian with professional knowledge of library science has not been hired
for the Media Center in the Nishinomiya Campus nor for the library at the Port IslandCampus. Professional librarians should be hired for these campuses.