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

Shikoku University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokushima, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2020
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April.1.2021 – March.31.2028）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Shikoku University
Overview
Shikoku University adheres to the idea of “Holistic Independence” as its founding
principle. To put this into practice, it has established the following four points to define
its educational mission and goals: Shikoku University “develops individuals who can beindependent as respectable members of society,” “develops individuals who can not only
absorb knowledge, but also do their own thinking and research,” “places high importanceon a good rapport between students, academic staff and working adults, developing
individuals who shine as human beings,” and “have a wide field of view, developing
highly employable graduates who can contribute to society and local communities”. As amedium- to long-term plan, the University has established a five-year plan, “Shikoku
University School Corporation University Reform Vision 2017” (referred to below as“University Reform Vision 2017”), which it has been working on since 2017. As such,the University is acknowledged to be actively working to enhance its education andresearch activities.
Based on the view that realization of the University Reform Vision 2017
constitutes internal quality assurance in a broad sense, the University has been
implementing various measures indicated in the University Reform Vision 2017, centeredmainly around the Head Office for University Reform. However, an internal quality
assurance system based on a systematic PDCA cycle, including measures for checks andreviews, and improvement of each faculty and graduate school, has yet to be established
for the University as a whole. In addition, the system for implementing internal quality
assurance as a University is not sufficiently coordinated, as organizations not included in
the “Organization Chart for Internal Quality Assurance Implementation” are involved in
the University Reform Vision 2017’s PDCA cycle. After establishing policies andprocedures for internal quality assurance, the University should review its internal quality
assurance system, including from the perspective of academic management, and takecorrective measures to develop a structured framework that enables it to function.
Regarding education, curricula at both the undergraduate and graduate level havebeen organized appropriately in accordance with the degree award policy (diplomapolicy) and the curriculum design and implementation policy (curriculum policy). As ameasure to encourage students’ self-driven participation, each department and graduate
school provides an appropriate combination of class formats including lectures, exercises,1

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experiments, and practical classes, while active learning is also being vigorously
incorporated. In addition, the introduction of the “Self-Education Skills Sheet” in theundergraduate division has established a system that allows students to clearly understandthe progress of their learning, which in turn improves their motivation to learn.
One notable initiative is the “High School-University Connection Career
Development Support Program”, which aims to facilitate students’ learning from before
their enrollment to the University and support their employment by encouraging them toobtain qualifications. This program has shown results in terms of improving student
motivation: as well as students demonstrating a desire to acquire multiple qualifications,
there are students who have already received job offers who use the program to acquire
qualifications that can be put to practical use in their future place of work.
In addition, the University has formulated the Shikoku University Community
Education Program, which offers various activities such as systematic education for
acquiring skills to contribute to the community, education through exchanges between
students and practicing professionals, and the opportunity for students to engage incommunity service and volunteering. These activities are to be highly commended. Not
only do the University’s faculty and staff return the fruits of their education and research
to the community, they also develop capable students who, in the context of communitycontribution focused education, can serve the local area well into the future.
However, there are several issues that should be addressed. Some faculties havenot taken sufficient measures to substantiate academic credits, nor have there beenadequate efforts to ascertain the learning outcomes specified in the degree award policy
for both undergraduate and graduate divisions. In addition, there are shortcomings in thecurriculum design and implementation policy for some graduate schools, while others are
yet to develop and make public their criteria for reviewing the results of special
assignment research. Problems were also observed in student quota management andfaculty development (referred to below as “FD”) in both undergraduate and graduate
divisions.
Going forward, we hope that the University will make further progress bysolving these problems with internal quality assurance efforts and by further developing
its excellent and distinctive community-based initiatives.
Notable Strengths
Student Support2Shikoku UniversityThe University has been conducting a “High School-University Connection Career
Development Support Program,” which aims to facilitate students’ learning frombefore their enrollment in the University and support their employment byencouraging them to obtain qualifications. This program features the following
distinctive initiatives: the “Incentive System for Qualifications on Enrollment,”
which provides incentives based on the qualifications students acquire while in highschool; the “Qualification Preparation Course,” which provides preparatory courses
for various qualifications at the University; and the “Qualification Acquisition
Incentive System” which provides incentives to students who take the qualification
preparation courses and pass the relevant examinations. This has led to improvements
in student motivation: as well as students demonstrating a desire to acquire multiple
qualifications, there are students that have already received job offers who use theprogram to acquire qualifications that can be put into practice at their future place ofwork. It is commendable that the school is promoting students’ independent learningfrom the perspective of enrolment, using the acquisition of qualifications as a starting
point, and linking this to student support.

Social Cooperation and Contribution
 In addition to a wealth of public lectures and cultural activities led by the Center for
Regional Education and Cooperation, the University has established partnershipagreements with neighboring municipalities and businesses, and is developing aleadership development program for university students in Tokushima Prefecture, as
well as the Shikoku University Community Education Program, an on-campus
educational program for regional education. The Shikoku University Community
Education Program is a structured program for providing students with theknowledge and abilities to work with communities to solve local problems. Theprogram also includes various activities such as exchanges with practicing
professionals and volunteering, providing outstanding education to develop humanresources who can make a contribution to the local area. The Shikoku University
Regional Education Guidebook presents these learning activities to students in aneasy-to-understand way, and students mark their accomplishments on the SelfEducation Skills Sheet. The activities are to be highly commended. Not only do theUniversity’s faculty and staff repay the fruits of their education and research to thecommunity, they also develop capable students who, in the context of communitycontribution focused education, can serve the local area well into the future.
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Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Program and Learning OutcomesWith respect to curriculum design and implementation policy, neither the Master’s
Program or the Doctoral Program at the Graduate School of Management andInformation Science indicates its basic approach to curriculum implementation,
while the Master’s Program at the Graduate School of Nursing Science does notindicate its basic approach to the implementation or design of its curriculum. This
needs to be improved.

 Although an upper limit has been set on the number of credits students can registerto take in a single year, students are allowed to register for courses related toqualifications and off-campus practical training in excess of this limit. Moreover, thefirst year of study in some faculties is set up in such a way that it is difficult to study
without exceeding the limit. In addition, students who meet specific requirements,
such as those who excelled in the immediately preceding semester, are allowed toregister for courses in excess of the limit with the approval of the Faculty Council.
As a result, in the first year of study at the Faculty of Literature, the Faculty of Human
Life Science, and the Faculty of Nursing, and in the second year of study at theFaculty of Management and Information Science, there are a considerable number ofstudents who actually register for a large number of credits in excess of the upperlimit. In addition, the “Internal Rules on the Upper Limit of Course Credits” allow
students who retake courses to register to take credits in excess of the limit. Othermeasures have not been implemented to substantiate credits, and not enough is being
done to give substance to credits. Therefore, the University should improve thesituation in view of the purpose of the credit system.
 At the undergraduate level, although measurement methods have been established forsome of the learning outcomes specified in the degree award policy, and efforts arebeing made to monitor various learning outcomes, overall, it is difficult to say thatthey are being measured in general with a clearly defined relationship to the learning
outcomes specified in the degree award policy. Similarly, at the graduate level, someefforts are being made to measure various learning outcomes, but these too are notsufficiently connected to the learning outcomes specified in the degree award policy.
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Therefore, improvements are required at both the undergraduate and graduate levels
to ensure that the learning outcome specified in the degree award policy are properly
monitored and assessed.
Student Enrollment
 The ratios of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap are 0.35 for theMaster's Program in Japanese Literature and Calligraphic Culture, 0.33 for theMaster's Program in the Graduate School of Management and Information Science,
0.11 for the Doctoral Program in the Graduate School of Management andInformation Science, and 0.45 for the Master’s Program in the Graduate Schoolof Human Life Science. These figures are low, so improvements should be made toensure proper student quota management at the graduate school level.
Faculty and Faculty Organization
 Systematic graduate school-specific FD relating to educational improvement has notbeen conducted except at the Graduate School of Nursing Science, so improvements
are required to properly implement such, either for the Master’s and Doctoral
programs as a whole or for each graduate school individually. In addition, although
the Graduate School of Nursing Science conducts FD aimed at things like social
contribution and stepping up research activities, it does not conduct FD in other areas,a situation that requires improvement.
Recommendations
Internal Quality Assurance With policies and procedures for internal quality assurance yet to be established,efforts aimed at implementing the University Reform Vision 2017 will be
implemented under a framework involving multiple committees and subcommittees,
centered on the Head Office for University Reform. Conversely, the Shikoku
University Assessment Committee is responsible for checks and reviews ofindividual faculties and graduate schools, which are then used to make improvements
via the Management Committee. The inadequate interaction between the abovemeans that an internal quality assurance system based on a systematic PDCA cycle
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has yet to be established for the University as a whole. In addition, the system for
implementing internal quality assurance as a University is not sufficiently
coordinated, as organizations not included in the “Organization Chart for Internal
Quality Assurance Implementation” are involved in the University Reform Vision
2017’s PDCA cycle. In establishing policies and procedures for internal quality
assurance, the University should review its internal quality assurance system,
including from the perspective of academic management, and take corrective
measures to develop a structured framework that enables it to function.
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes The Master's Program in Japanese Literature and Calligraphic Culture, the Master’s
Program of the Graduate School of Management and Information Sciences, Master’s
Program in the Graduate School of Management and Information Science, and theMaster’s Program in the Graduate School of Nursing Science have not establishedcriteria for reviewing the results of special assignment research. Corrective measures
should be taken so that these can be determined and made public.
Student Enrollment
 In the last five years, the average ratios of freshman enrollment to the freshmanenrollment cap is high at 1.22 in the Faculty of Human Life Science’s Department ofHuman Life Science, and low at 0.72 and 0.65 in the Faculty of Literature’s
Department of Calligraphic Culture and in the Faculty of Management andInformation Science’s Department of Media and Information Systems respectively.
In addition, the ratios of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap is high at
1.27 in the Faculty of Human Life Science’s Department of Human Life Science, andlow at 0.69 and 0.59 in the Faculty of Literature’s Department of Calligraphic Culture
and in the Faculty of Management and Information Science’s Department of Mediaand Information Systems respectively. This should be rectified to ensure thoroughstudent quota management.

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