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

Kawasaki Medical School

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Okakayama, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2022
Accreditation Status: accredited（Accreditation Period: April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2030）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Kawasaki Medical School
Overview
Kawasaki Medical School, founded on the philosophy of “Liberal Humanity, Sound
Body and Profound Knowledge,” sets forth the purpose of “nurturing competent
physicians who can meet social needs in accordance with the Basic Act on Educationand the School Education Act.” To achieve its founding philosophy and purpose, theSchool has developed the Kawasaki Medical School Kawasaki Medical School
Mid-term Goals and Plans (hereafter, the “School Medium-Term Goals and Plans”)
through which it strives to enhance its educational and research activities.
With regard to the internal quality assurance system, the School has set theSchool Steering Committee as an organization responsible for promoting internal
quality assurance. It also established the Internal Quality Assurance Promotion
Council as the Quality Promotion Unit (hereafter, “QPU”), together with the SelfInspection and Evaluation Committee placed under the council, as well as theInspection Executive Committee, Business Plan Review Committee, and Learning
Outcome and Educational Program Review Committee, all formed as bodies
subordinate to the Self-Study Committee. This structure was put in place in 2022 toconduct internal quality assurance activities at each level. However, improvements
are required as the roles of the committee members are not specifically defined toreflect the responsibilities of the individual committees.
With respect to education, the Faculty of Medicine and the Doctoral
Course of the Medical Research Department were established based on the School’s
philosophy and purpose, and both have organized their curricula properly in line withthe diploma and curriculum policies. The Faculty of Medicine has worked tosystematize its curriculum with a strong emphasis on learning outcome-based
education and created a curriculum tree showing course systems and a curriculum
map clarifying the connection between the courses and the graduation competencies.
One notable effort regarding enrollment is the adoption of various
admissions methods. In terms of student support and educational and researchfacilities, the School works to provide a learning environment where students canlive safely and peacefully as they focus on their studies. Specifically, the School
provides sufficient spaces for individual and group learning such as study rooms by
grade level and lounges for students and academic and administrative staff. It also1

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manages a full range of exhibits at the Medical Museum of Kawasaki Medical School
and makes effective use of the exhibits for student education. These are highly
commendable efforts. Furthermore, the School is the only medical school in Japan
with an affiliated senior high school, offering the “Doctor Road” to nurture excellent
future physicians. This is one of the outstanding features of its university-high school
collaboration. The School also makes a broad range of efforts for social cooperationand contribution and international exchanges to return the learning outcomes back tosociety in an appropriate way.
There are several issues the School needs to address, however. The Facultyof Medicine properly assesses and evaluates the student learning outcomes specifiedin the diploma policy. In the Doctoral Course of the Medical Research Department,
however, although some initiatives have been identified, including the Graduate
School Mid-term presentation designed to provide students with guidance on
research methods and thesis and dissertation writing, the connection to the learning
outcomes specified in the diploma policy is not clearly defined. This requires
improvements. Moreover, the School should take measures to properly manage theFaculty of Medicine’s student quotas.
Going forward, JUAA expects the School to resolve its internal quality
assurance issues through a newly-built system, and enhance its educational, researchand social contribution activities as a distinctive medical school providing extensive
support to its students in order to progress further.
Notable Strengths
Education and Research EnvironmentThe School has created an environment to encourage students’ individual andgroup learning by setting up self-study rooms by grade level with the capacity toaccommodate all students. It also provides individual booths for fifth- and sixthyear students, as well as study rooms in dormitories and lounges for students,
academic and administrative staff, and a lounge with research books andreference materials in the Central Research Institute, which plays a central rolein functional research. Moreover, the School not only exhibits a wide array oforgan specimens owned by the Medical Museum of Kawasaki Medical School,
but makes effective use of the specimens in clinical training. Through theseactivities the School provides support for active student learning, and is making

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significant efforts to develop students’ academic skills and diverse abilities.
These efforts are commendable.
Suggestions for Improvement
Internal Quality Assurance
The School’s internal quality assurance structure consists of the Internal Quality
Assurance Promotion Council as the main body promoting internal quality
assurance, along with the Self-Inspection and Evaluation Committee responsible
for examining educational and research activities and conducting self-studies
across the School; the Inspection Executive Committee responsible for regularly
checking and reviewing school activities in general and preparing reports; andthe Business Plan Review Committee responsible for checking and reviewing theachievement of items included in the annual business plans and medium- andlong-term plans. In the rules governing these organizations, however, themembers are defined only as those appointed by the president. This area requires
improvement with the committee members defined in more specific terms thatreflect the responsibilities of the individual committees.

Educational Program and Learning OutcomesIn the Doctoral Course of the Medical Research Department, student learning
outcomes are assessed on the basis of the interim research presentation, thesis
defense, and survey. However, the connection between these assessment
methods and the learning outcomes specified in the diploma policy is imprecise,and it is difficult to say that the learning outcomes in the diploma policy areproperly measured by these methods. This situation requires improvements.

Recommendation
Student Enrollment
The average ratios of enrolled freshman to the freshman enrollment cap over thepast five years is high at 1.02 and the ratio of enrolled students to the student
enrollment cap is also high at 1.09 in the Faculty of Medicine. These ratios

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should be improved with the student quotas thoroughly managed.

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