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

Kansai Medical University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Osaka, Japan

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

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Kansai Medical University

Overview
The founding spirit of Kansai Medical University is “to cultivate human qualities
through the ideals of Jijinshinkyo, namely ‘Benevolence, Compassion andEmpathy,’” and its mission is defined as “to foster medical professionals who haveingenious intellect, rich humanity, and ability to serve society, and to advanceresearch of medicine, and nursing deeply to contribute to the growth of culture andpublic welfare.” In order to fulfill the founding spirit and mission of the University,
the University has drawn up the “Kansai Medical University Medium-Term Plan,”and based on this plan, reforms are underway in seven areas: “education andresearch,” “medical care,” “infrastructure and facilities,” “managementadministration,” “financial management,” “human resources management,” and“social contribution activities”. In terms of the education and research structure inparticular, the opening of the Faculty of Nursing and the Graduate School of Nursing(Master’s and Doctoral Programs) in 2018 and the Faculty of Rehabilitation and theGraduate School of Medicine (Master’s Program) in 2021 have been achieved.
With respect to internal quality assurance, a system has been establishedwhereby the Education and Research Promotion Committee, chaired by the President,
reports the details of its efforts on various issues to the Self-Study Committee andreceives advice. However, review from the perspective of the Self-Study Committee
and its advice to the Education and Research Promotion Committee are notspecifically stated in the universities regulations, policies and procedures, a situationthat should be corrected.
Regarding education, all faculties and graduate schools have organized theircurricula appropriately in accordance with the degree award policy (diploma policy)
and curriculum design and implementation policy (curriculum policy). In order topromote independent participation on the part of students, KMULAS (Kansai
Medical University Learning Assistant System) has been introduced as a LearningManagement System (LMS), and syllabi, lecture materials, video materials, minitests, and reports are all posted in one place to facilitate students’ active participationin classes. In addition, the University is actively working to incorporate
multidisciplinary collaborative education and other initiatives. The identification andevaluation of learning outcomes as stipulated in the degree award policy is also1

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generally conducted appropriately through radar charts based on course grades,rubrics, various questionnaires, and other means.
With respect to student support, deserving of special mention is theestablishment of the “Career Center for Female Doctors” in the Faculty of Medicine,which provides research support, enhanced pre- and post-graduation education,
career support, networking support, and support for returning to work, specificallyfor women.
Looking at social cooperation and social contribution, the JUAA can confirm
that the Faculty of Medicine has developed excellent initiatives such as joint projects
to maintain the health of local residents based on a regional cooperation agreementwith Kadoma City and the Medical Association, and a prenatal/postnatal mother andchild support project operated by the School of Nursing under an agreement with
Osaka Infant Care Center.
However, there are issues that should be improved. First, the objectives of eachfaculty and graduate school are not stipulated in the University regulations orequivalent rules. Regarding internal quality assurance, in addition to theaforementioned issues, there is also the issue of the unclear relationship between theFaculty of Nursing’s Self-Study Committee and the university-wide internal quality
assurance system. Other issues that require improvement include overcapacity in theFaculty of Medicine, lack of study rooms, and discrepancies between the regulations
and the actual situation regarding procedures for revising the school regulations.
Going forward, the JUAA hopes that the University will resolve these issues
through internal quality assurance initiatives and make greater strides forward by
further developing its many distinctive initiatives.
Notable Strengths
Faculty and Faculty Organization
 The “Medical Education Workshop” is a distinctive FD activity that has been
conducted for many years. The president and faculty members gather together todiscuss and exchange opinions on current educational issues and problems while
incorporating the viewpoints of students, who are the main agents of learning.
The approach of students and faculty discussing educational issues from thesame standpoint embodies the academic culture of freedom, autonomy, and selflearning, and is highly commendable as an outstanding initiative that will deliver
results in terms of educational improvement.

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Student Support
 Both the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Nursing implement career
support education from the early years of study. Particularly commendable is theestablishment of the “Career Center for Female Doctors” in the Faculty ofMedicine, which provides research support, enhanced pre- and post-graduation
education, career support, networking support, and support for returning to work,
specifically for women.
Social Cooperation and Contribution
 The Faculty of Medicine has concluded a regional cooperation agreement withKadoma City and the Medical Association to conduct a cohort survey on thehealth of citizens and implement initiatives for promoting the health and healthy
life expectancy of local residents, and has reported the results in an authoritative
English-language journal. In addition, the Faculty of Nursing has an agreement
and collaboration with the Osaka Infant Care Center to review, analyze, andinvestigate case studies of programs to support prenatal and postnatal mothers
and their children. These are all commendable efforts for social contribution andcooperation that combine distinctive research with the needs of the localcommunity.
Suggestions for Improvement
Mission and Purpose
 No educational and research objectives for the Faculty of Medicine and theFaculty of Nursing are stipulated in the university rules or equivalent regulations.
This should be improved.
Internal Quality Assurance The Faculty of Nursing has established its own Self-Study Committee, but therelationship between this committee and the university-wide Self-Study
Committee is uncertain, and it is also unclear how the results of the committee’s
checks and reviews are handled on a university-wide basis. As a university withthree faculties and two graduate schools, improvement is required so that eachcommittee and organization can properly divide up roles and cooperate with eachother.
Student Enrollment
3Kansai Medical UniversityThe ratio of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap in the Faculty of
Medicine’s Department of Medicine is high at 1.03. This should be improved toensure proper undergraduate student quota management.

Education and Research Environment
 There is a lack of study rooms for students in all faculties and graduate schools
to use freely. This should be improved.
University Management and Finance Although the school regulations stipulate the establishment of a “UniversityAdvisory Council” to deliberate and discuss matters common to the Faculty of
Medicine and the Faculty of Nursing, and stipulate that revisions and repeal ofuniversity regulations shall be deliberated on by the Council, in AY2020 theschool regulations were revised without going through the Council, and there aresome inconsistencies between the regulations and actual conditions. This shouldbe improved.
Recommendation
Internal Quality Assurance The Education and Research Promotion Committee has been positioned as anorganization to promote university-wide internal quality assurance, and the SelfStudy Committee has been established to support the committee’s efforts to doso. However, the procedures for assessment from the Self-Study Committee’s
own perspective and its advice to the Education and Research PromotionCommittee, as well as the specific regulations, policies, and procedures forgiving feedback based on that advice to individual faculties and graduate schools,
are not clearly stated. This should be corrected.

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