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

Sapporo Gakuin University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: PrivateLocation: Hokkaido, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2014
Accreditation Status: accredited（Accreditation Period: April.01.2015 – March.31.2022）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Sapporo Gakuin University
Overview
Sapporo Gakuin University (hereafter, the University) was founded as Sapporo Bunka
Senmon Gakuin (Sapporo College of Liberal Arts) in 1946. In 1968, it became Sapporo
College of Commerce, a single-faculty college with a Faculty of Commerce, and in1984, changed its name to Sapporo Gakuin University. It has five faculties: the Facultyof Management, the Faculty of Humanities, the Faculty of Law, the Faculty ofEconomics, and the Faculty of Social Information; and three graduate schools: theGraduate School of Law, the Graduate School of Clinical Psychology, and the Graduate
School of Regional Management. Its two campuses are located in Ebetsu City,Hokkaido. The University has engaged in education and research activities based on thefounding principles of “academic freedom,” “unique profound study,” and “respect ofindividuality.”
After its accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association(JUAA) in 2007, the University has made notable efforts in offering detailed guidancein course selection, implementing faculty development with the participation of students,
and accepting students with disabilities and enhancing of their support. However, someissues remain, such as insufficiency in enrollment. These issues should be improved.
Notable Strengths
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome

It is commendable that a systematic support system of students has been establishedin cooperation with the faculty and staff, and detailed study guidance has beenoffered. In each department and faculty, academic advisers and related faculty andstaff use an electronic student guidance sheet (“Hagukumi”) to share information,
including student achievement (acquired credits, GPA), course-taking status,attendance, and guidance records.

It is commendable that various student activities have been carried out under theauspices of a three-year project that began in the 2011 which calls for “facultydevelopment with the participation of students.” Using the standpoints of “changingthe student environment,” “changing students,” and “changing the faculty and staff,”
students and faculty cooperate with each other and students take the initiative, forexample, in creating a video introducing the educational activities of the faculty.
Students also conduct an analysis of the pre-recorded video of lectures both on theirown and through interviews with the faculty.

Student Support

It is commendable that the University has made notable efforts in accepting
students with disabilities and offering excellent support. In particular, the activitiesof the Barrier-Free Committee, which include activities such as note taking or notetaking by personal computer initiated by students, fulfill the University’s mission ofautonomy, human rights, coexistence, and cooperation and also fulfill its
educational objectives by fostering persons who are actively involved in problem
solving and becoming leaders within an interconnected society. The University also
makes significant contributions to Japanese higher education by accepting students
with disabilities and enhancing support for them as one of the core schools of theEducational Support Network for Student with Disabilities sponsored by the Japan

3Student Service Organization (JASSO), and as an allied institution of the Japan
Network of Hearing-Impaired Students in Higher Education (PEPNet-Japan).
Social Cooperation and Contribution
It is commendable that the University has actively engaged in social cooperationand contribution both in locally and internationally. In particular, Sapporo Gakuin
University Community College, offered by the Social Cooperation Center, has had
more than twenty thousand participants, and has played the role of a lifelong
learning institution in the local community. It not only offers open lecture series butalso makes efforts to enrich society. The Japanese Language Education and Culture
Program for international students offers Japanese language education as well as
opportunities for Japanese cultural experiences and hands-on learning of local
Hokkaido. These attempts produce effective results, such as students who return as
exchange students, and an increase in international partner schools. The Psychology
Clinical Center offers psychological education consultation to local residents andregularly holds open lecture series focused on psychological health.

Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Content, Methods, and OutcomeIn the Graduate School of Law and the Graduate School of Clinical Psychology,
each curriculum design policy explains the realities of the curriculum but does notprovide the basic principles of educational contents and methods. This should beimproved.

In the syllabus of each graduate school, descriptions vary depending on the faculty.
For example, some faculty descriptions lack lesson plans. Descriptions should
follow the Syllabus Writing Guideline.

Enrollment
In the Department of English Language and Literature in the Faculty of Humanities,
the average of the ratios of the last five years of enrolled freshman to the freshman
admission cap is low at 0.86, and the ratio of enrolled students to the student
enrollment cap is also low at 0.84. In the Department of Clinical Psychology in theFaculty of Humanities, the ratio of transfer students to the transfer student
admission cap is low at 0.25. In addition, the ratio of enrolled students to thestudent enrollment cap in the Graduate School of Regional Management is low at0.40. These numbers should be improved.

Area of Serious Concern
Enrollment
The average of the ratios of the last five years of enrolled freshmen to the freshmen
admission cap is low at 0.63 in the Department of Accounting and Finance in theFaculty of Management, at 0.83 in the Department of Economics in the Faculty ofEconomics, at 0.71 in the Department of Jurisprudence in the Faculty of Law, andat 0.82 for the entire University. In addition, the ratio of enrolled students to thestudent enrollment cap is low at 0.61 in the Department of Accounting and Financein the Faculty of Management, at 0.84 in the entire Faculty of Management, at 0.79
in the Department of Economics in the Faculty of Economics, at 0.66 in the4Department of Jurisprudence in the Faculty of Law, and 0.78 for the entire
University. These numbers must be improved immediately.