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

Kwassui Women's University

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

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2015
Accreditation Status: Accredited（Accreditation Period: April.01.2016 – March.31.2023）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Kwassui Women’s University
Overview
Kwassui Women’s University (hereafter, the University) succeeded Kwassui Women’s
School, founded in 1879. Under the new education system, a part of Kwassui Women’s
School was converted to Kwassui Women’s Junior College in 1950, with the Departmentof English, the Department of Home Economics, and the Department of Music. It wasthen reorganized in 1981 as Kwassui Women’s University and introduced the Faculty ofLiterature. After establishing more departments and a graduate school, the University
established the Faculty of Nursing in 2009, and now the University has four faculties
with eight departments, and one graduate school. The University’s founding spirit is to“cultivate a person of integrity to offer divinely given water to neighbors and society andenrich others,” and, accordingly, the University has offered women’s education based onChristianity.
The University has three campuses, Higashi-Yamate Campus and Shintomachi
Campus in Nagasaki City and Omura Campus in Omura City, Nagasaki Prefecture, andoffers education and conducts research to achieve five educational goals based on thefounding spirit and Christianity.
After its accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association(JUAA) in 2010, the University has made efforts to set up a committee to fulfill theenrollment cap and developed a five-year plan to improve management.
As a school with a solid historical foundation, the University has established aneducation system that supports students in every respect and mutually respects andcooperates with local communities. At the same time, it faces the pressing issue ofinsufficient student enrollments and the resulting financial constraints, which remains
very serious despite several efforts that have been enacted to counter the issue. In addition,
rules and regulations for various activities on campus have not yet been sufficientlyestablished.
As the University has been actively engaged in reform with a focus on education,
research, and social contributions, it should enhance the Faculty of Nursing by promoting
education and research to meet the needs of the age and society. In addition, under theleadership of its chancellor, the University should make continuous and aggressive efforts
for improvement and reform of the Faculty of Humanities and Faculty of Music, the corebasis of the University, as well make improvements to internal quality assurance throughself-study and evaluation.
Notable Strengths
Social Cooperation and Contribution

It is commendable that the Resource Center for Supporting Children regularly holds
a “Coffee Morning” that provides assistance to international families with young
children through seasonal events and play session. It is also commendable that theCenter does not only contribute to local communities but also has positive effects onstudents’ learning. For example Students in the Department of Child Development
and Education join the Center’s activities to enhance their understanding of different
cultures and to find ways of supporting others. And students enhance their skills andunderstanding by engaging in learning-support volunteer activities, in which
students support local elementary students’ learning and teach Japanese language tointernational students.

3Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Content, Methods, and OutcomeIn the Graduate School of English Literature and Language, the research instruction
plan is not communicated well to the students. This should be improved.

Enrollment
In the Graduate School of English Literature and Language, the ratio of enrolled
students to the student enrollment cap is low at 0.08. This should be improved.

Education and Research EnvironmentEfforts to hold workshops for faculty, staff, and students address the prevention of
misconducts in research ethics and research activities have not been made. Thisshould be improved.

Administration and FinanceA number of meetings and activities on campus take place according to customary
practice with no explicit written rules and regulations. The University shouldreorganize the number of rules and regulations pertaining to activities on campus,
such as the hiring of new faculty and the number of credits to be awarded to transfer
students. The management of the University should also follow the given rules andregulations.

The University’s financial condition is not sufficient to attain its educational goals,
and therefore the University should develop a Five-Year Management Reform Plan,
including a financing plan for the seismic retrofitting of the Higashi-Yamate campus.

Area of Serious Concern
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome

It is ruled in law that a university can recognize one credit for 15 to 30 hours of workin a lecture or workshop type of class, but in the Faculty of Music, the attached tableof the student handbook indicates that in the Performing Expression and Education
course, classes such as the Study of Music Instrument a/b and Vocal Studies a/boffers two credits for 15 weeks of one-hour classes. This must be improved.

Enrollment
In the last five years, the average of the ratios of enrolled freshman to the freshman
admission cap and the ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap is low
at 0.71 and 0.71 respectively in the Department of English, 0.53 and 0.61
respectively in the Department of Contemporary Japanese Culture, 0.48 and 0.48
respectively in the Department of Human Relations in the Faculty of Humanities,
0.57 and 0.60 respectively in the entire Faculty of Humanities, 0.52 and 0.56
respectively in the Department of Music in the Faculty of Music, and 0.69 and 0.68
respectively in the Department of Design and Science for Human Life in the Facultyof Wellness Studies. These numbers must be improved.