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

Aichi University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Aichi, 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 Aichi University

Overview
The founding philosophy of Aichi University are “contribution to world culture andpeace,” “training individuals with global knowledge and perspectives,” and“contribution to the local community.” Its purpose is defined as “providing a highlevel of knowledge and specialized professional training, and developing talented
individuals who can contribute to the development of human society from a broad,global perspective.” In order to realize the founding philosophy and objectives of theUniversity, the University has developed the Fourth Basic Program, starting in
AY2016, which sets out a vision for the University ten years on. This consists of fivepoints, including “a university that stands as a leader among private universities in
the Chubu region and is highly regarded nationwide,” and “a university that, inaccordance with its founding philosophy, develops globally-oriented individuals whocan contribute to world peace, culture, and the local community.” In so doing, it isworking to fulfill its founding ideals by outlining specific initiatives for regional
cooperation in education and research, international education and research, andstudent support. From AY2021, under the Fifth Basic Program, the University is
steadily working to enhance its educational and research activities.
Regarding internal quality assurance, under the Self-inspection and Internal
Quality Assurance Committee, a university-wide organization for promoting internal
quality assurance, three checks and reviews were conducted: “project plans/projectreports,” “Self-inspection of faculties and graduate schools,” and “targetmanagement by sections and departments,” with improvement and enhancement
efforts made based on the results. However, regarding the operation of the system,
feedback for improvement provided by the Self-inspection and Internal Quality
Assurance Committee based on the check and review results is inadequate. Thisshould be improved.
All faculties in the undergraduate program have organized their curricula
appropriately in accordance with the degree award policy (diploma policy) andcurriculum design and implementation policy (curriculum policy). All faculties haveestablished curriculum maps that show the overall structure of the curriculum and therelationship between courses, as well as course classifications, years of study, andcourse requirements to enable students to systematically take courses in order. The1

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University is aiming to implement practical education that reaches beyond classroom
learning by adopting methods such as active learning, team teaching, and projectbased learning, tailored to the nature and characteristics of each faculty. In addition,faculties appropriately ascertain and assess students’ learning outcomes, which areclearly stated in the degree award policy, through means including a “Learning
Outcomes Questionnaire.”
However, there are several issues that need to be improved with regard to theGraduate School. First, there are deficiencies in the curriculum design andimplementation policies of some graduate schools, and there are no specific review
criteria regarding research outcomes on specific subjects. In addition, themeasurement of learning outcomes described in the degree award policy isinadequate for all graduate programs. This should be improved. Improvements arealso required with respect to student enrollment, because some graduate schools have
low ratios of student enrollment relative to the student enrollment cap.
In addition, as of May 1, 2020, one graduate school was short of one researchsupervising faculty member necessary to meet the Standards for the Establishmentof Graduate Schools, and another graduate school was short of one researchsupervising faculty member as of September 1, 2021. Although these shortages were
subsequently remedied, the fact that this had been the case for two years indicatesthat the check and review of faculty was inadequate and that the internal quality
assurance system was not functioning properly. Given that the Board of Trustees is
expected to examine the check and review of the faculty, it is hoped that steps will
be taken to steadily implement this going forward.
Meanwhile, outstanding initiatives include the implementation, under thestudent support policy, of systematic career support “from admission to graduation”
led by the Career Support Center and the active promotion of volunteer activities ledby such bodies as the Volunteer Center, forming a bridge to the local community. Inaddition, “contributing to the local community,” which has been one of the founding
philosophy of Aichi University since its establishment, forms a pillar of its education
and research activities, with the Faculty of Regional Policy playing a central role inthese efforts.
In light of the above, the University will work to promptly address
recommendations for correction and issues for improvement through internal quality
assurance initiatives, and the JUAA looks forward to further development based on
the steady progress of many distinctive initiatives aimed at realizing the future visionof Aichi University 10 years from now set out in its Fifth Basic Program.

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Notable Strengths
Student Support
 As part of Career Integrated Systems for Aichi University introduced in AY2011,
the Career Support Center plays a central role in providing systematic career
support that interconnects undergraduate education, student life andextracurricular activities, career design, and support for job hunting activities. In
particular, Career Field, a career design program for junior students conductedalongside companies and local governments, offers project-based learning tosolve problems faced by society, with many students participating. This includes
Learning+, a career development program based on industry-governmentuniversity collaboration, lectures, and interviews with alumni. These initiatives,
which are in line with the University’s founding philosophy of “contributing to
the local community” and the policy of student support “from admission tograduation,” are highly commendable, leading to improved self-analysis andcareer awareness among students.
In addition, by providing for support for volunteering in accordance with thestudent support policy, the University is making efforts to encourage students’
own independent activities. Particularly on the Nagoya campus, the Volunteer
Center plays a central role in offering support by providing a variety ofinformation through the Volunteer Bank System, coordinating with volunteer
sites, and offering overseas volunteer programs, etc. Moreover, in a joint activity
with the Toyohashi Campus, students have been sent to China on an ongoingbasis to participate in overseas volunteer activities aimed at desert afforestation.
In this way, the University as a whole is active in promoting volunteer activities,
which is expected to lead to students’ growth and independence in society, as
stated in the policy. These volunteer activities are well regarded and muchappreciated by the local community, and as such, they are highly commendable
as a bridge to the community grounded in the University’s founding philosophy.

Social Cooperation and Contribution
 “Contributing to the local community” has been one of the pillars of theUniversity’s education and research since its establishment. Accordingly, it isengaged in a variety of community service activities, including cooperativeprojects with local governments and organizations. In particular, in recent years,3Aichi University

students from the Faculty of Regional Policy, the Faculty of Letters, and theJunior College have been taking part in a collaborative project to promote thesale of “Disaster Prevention Crackers” in cooperation with Aichi Prefecture’s
Higashimikawa Prefectural Office and a local long-established Japaneseconfectionery store. In addition, Hida-takayama Research Center of Regional
Revitalization conducts commissioned research, makes policy proposals for
Yatomi City’s comprehensive plan, participates in public relations activities for
Chiryu City, and conducts a variety of other community collaboration activities
that draw on students’ perspectives. These are commendable efforts that embody
the University’s founding philosophy.
Suggestions for Improvement
Internal Quality Assurance Three self-studies are conducted under the Self-inspection and Internal Quality
Assurance Committee: “project plans/project reports,” “Self-inspection byfaculties and graduate schools,” and “target management by sections anddepartments,” with improvement and enhancement efforts made based on theresults. However, feedback for improvement provided by the Self-Study andInternal Quality Assurance Committee on the basis of the check and review
results is inadequate. This should be improved.
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes There is no indication in the curriculum design and implementation policy of thebasic approach to curriculum implementation in the Master’s Program of theGraduate School of Economics and the Doctoral Program of the Department ofLocal Community Systems in the Graduate School of Letters. This should beimproved.
In master’s, doctoral, and professional graduate programs, the measurement oflearning outcomes indicated in each graduate school’s degree award policy isinsufficient. This should be improved.

Student Enrollment
 In terms of the ratio of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap, there
are no enrollment in the Doctoral course in the Graduate Department of Law,
Master’s and Doctoral courses in the Graduate Department of Economics, and4

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the Doctoral course in the Graduate Department of Business Administration.
Meanwhile, the said ratio is 0.47 for the Master’s course in the Graduate
Department of Business Administration, 0.07 for the Master’s course in theGraduate Department of Humanities, 0.22 for the Doctoral course in theGraduate Department of Humanities, 0.23 for the Master’s course in theGraduate Department of International Communication, and 0.47 for theProfessional degree course in the Graduate School of Law (Law School), which
are low. This should be improved to ensure proper graduate student quotamanagement.
Recommendation
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes In the Master’s course in the Graduate Department of International
Communication, although the graduate school regulations stipulate that researchachievements on a specific subject may be substituted for an examination of amaster’s dissertation, no specific examination criteria have been established.
This should be corrected.

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