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

Sonoda Women's University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Hyogo, Japan

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

Sonoda Women’s University

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Sonoda Women’s University

Overview
With Shagashojin, or practice of compassion for others as its founding spirit, Sonoda
Women’s University defines its purpose as “developing women who will acquire abroad range of learning, pursue advanced expertise in arts and sciences, demonstratea wealth of humanity and creativity, and contribute enthusiastically to society.” InAY2019, the University drew up its medium- to long-term plan, “SONODA VISION
2030,” which outlines specific policies and action goals to fulfill its founding spirit,
philosophy and purpose in five areas: education, student support, research support,social cooperation, and administrative and operational structure.
With respect to internal quality assurance, the University has set universitywide policies and procedures, established a framework centering on the“Management Council,” and is working toward improvements and enhancements by
taking into account the check and review results conducted on the basis of theuniversity standards and business plan. Since AY2020, internal quality assurance
discussions have been held separately from the regular Management Council
meetings, and the internal quality assurance system has become functional, so it ishoped that the University will continue to work toward improvements andenhancements primarily through this Council.
With respect to education, in accordance with the university-wide degree
award policy (diploma policy), faculties and departments have established a degree
award policy for each of their individual degrees, and have defined and publishedcurriculum design and implementation policies (curriculum policies) to enable
students to acquire the abilities indicated therein. In addition, each class subject isnumbered on a university-wide basis, clearly indicating the sequence and structureof the curriculum. However, there are some departments that do not indicate theirbasic approach to curriculum implementation in their curriculum design andimplementation policies, and some for which the relationship between the learning
outcomes indicated in the degree award policies and the measurement indicators is
not clear. This should be improved.
Another issue that should be addressed immediately is undergraduate student
quota management. For example, at the Faculty of Human Education’s Departmentof Child Education, the average ratio of freshman enrollment to the freshman1

Sonoda Women’s Universityenrollment cap over the past five years and the ratio of student enrollment to thestudent enrollment cap have remained low. In addition, in terms of ensuring the safetyof facilities and equipment, the fact that there is no clear schedule for theimplementation of earthquake-proofing work in some university buildings requires
immediate improvement. In addition, problems with student quota management are
partly contributing to the deteriorating financial situation of the University, so there
is concern that this will affect implementation of earthquake-proofing of its facilities.
Therefore, it is necessary to promptly review the project details and financial
situation and systematically correct these issues.
On the other hand, outstanding initiatives include the use of the personnelevaluation system for exchanging views among faculty members and for managers
to monitor the status of all faculty members, university-wide support for students
with disabilities, and proactive social cooperation and social contribution activities
centered on the “Social Cooperation Promotion Center.”Moving forward, the JUAA hopes that these issues will be resolved throughthe proper functioning of the internal quality assurance system, and that theUniversity’s philosophy and objectives will be fulfilled by further developing its
distinctive and outstanding initiatives.
Notable Strengths
Faculty and Faculty Organization In order to evaluate and make use of faculty members’ educational, research, andsocial contribution activities, etc., a personnel evaluation system has been
established under which all faculty members score themselves on their respective
activities, and after a first evaluation based on an interview with their superiors
and a second evaluation based on the results of that, the President makes a finalevaluation. These initiatives provide a good opportunity for faculty members toreflect on their own activities during the year and exchange opinions withmanagement, while for management, including the president, they are useful inmonitoring the status of all faculty members engaged in social contribution andvarious other activities based on the University’s philosophy. The fact that thissystem is functioning effectively is commendable.
Student Support
 Support for students with disabilities is being undertaken based on the“Guidelines for Supporting Students with Disabilities,” led by the” Liaison
2

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Council for Supporting Students with Disabilities,” a university-wideorganization responsible for providing general support in university life.
Information necessary for providing support is shared through this council toeach department, division, and even to faculty members in charge of courses,
while taking considerations regarding personal information into account. In
addition, a university-wide support system has been established in collaboration
with students and others, including distribution of guidebooks to all faculty andstaff, training programs to promote better understanding of diversity, and theassignment of paid student volunteer note takers. It is commendable that thissystem functions effectively and that support is promptly provided to students
with gender dysphoria and hearing impairments as appropriate for theirsituations.
Social Cooperation and Contribution
 Using the Social Cooperation Promotion Center, which takes centralized
responsibility for such projects as lifelong learning, community collaboration,and research support, the University is actively engaged in social collaborationand social contribution while monitoring the needs of the local community. With
respect to research in particular, the University has established a “communityoriented research” category in its internal joint research fund, supports research
aimed at solving regional issues through the Social Cooperation Promotion
Center’s specialized research support department, and shares the fruits of theUniversity’s education and research widely with the local community throughsuch initiatives as open lectures and agreements with external organizations.
Furthermore, in education, the “Tsunagari Project,” a compulsory crossdepartmental course in the second year, develops the competencies required insociety by having students work with government and local organizations tosolve local issues, thereby creating an organic link between education, researchand contribution to the community. These initiatives are commendable forembodying the University’s founding philosophy of making practicalcontributions to the local community.
Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes The Faculty of Human Health’s Department of Wellness does not indicate its
basic approach to curriculum implementation in its curriculum design and3

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implementation policy. This should be improved.
The Faculty of Human Health’s Department of Wellness and Department of Foodand Nutrition state that they measure the learning outcomes specified in thedegree award policy using grading for each department’s courses andquestionnaires given to staff in charge of students’ practical training, but therelationship with the learning outcomes is unclear, and improvement is requiredaccordingly.

Education and Research Environment
 Regarding the earthquake-proofing of school buildings, plans for rebuilding
some university buildings have been drawn up and are being implemented inaccordance with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science andTechnology’s “Guidelines for the Promotion of Earthquake Resistance of School
Facilities,” but at present no plans have been made for earthquake-proofing ofBuilding No. 1, the building with the largest capacity, so immediate
improvements are required in order to ensure the safety of users of the facilities.
Recommendation
Student Enrollment
 At the Faculty of Human Education’s Department of Child Education, theaverage ratio of first-year student enrollment to the first-year student enrollment
cap over the past five years and the ratio of student enrollment to the student
enrollment cap were low at 0.61 and 0.57, respectively. This should be corrected
to ensure proper undergraduate student quota management.
University Management and Finance Since AY2017, the operational income and expenditure balance ratio for both theuniversity division and the corporation as a whole has been below the averagefor “other universities composed of multiple faculties.” The ratio has turned
negative in recent years, and the gap is widening. Moreover, the ratio of thefinancial assets to the required reserve fund remains is at an extremely low level,
indicating that the financial base necessary for the stable provision of educationaland research activities has not been established. In order to improve the situation
going forward, the JUAA hopes that corrective measures will be taken toestablish a financial base by developing a medium- to long-term financial plan4

Sonoda Women’s Universitythat clearly defines specific projects and their funding plans, and by steadily
implementing the “Sonoda Gakuen Corporation Medium-Term Business Plan.”5