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

Kinjo Gakuin 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）

Kinjo Gakuin University

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Kinjo Gakuin University

Overview
Kinjo Gakuin University was originally founded in 1889 as Kinjo Girls’ School.
Since its opening in 1949 as a college with the Department of English, College ofEnglish Literature, the University has expanded to become a multidisciplinary
university with five faculties, twelve departments, two graduate schools, and sixmajors.
Over the years, the school has developed a holistic education for girls based on
the evangelical Christianity that forms the school motto of the school. This isembodied in the three key pillars of the University’s education, which are “educatingwomen based on evangelical Christian principles,” “holistic integrated education,”and “education for international understanding.” The University conducts its
educational and research activities under the slogan “Be strong. Be kind.”
In AY2019, an internal quality assurance system and organization wereestablished to further improve the quality of education and research. At the core ofthe system is the Internal Quality Assurance Promotion Council (hereinafter the“Promotion Council”, which is responsible for conducting university-wide quality
assurance. Furthermore, the “Curriculum Development Council” (hereinafter the“Development Council”) has been established as an organization commissioned by
the Promotion Council and dedicated to internal quality assurance regarding
educational activities. However, instructions and support for improvements andenhancements from a university-wide perspective are not sufficient, and there aresome departments that do not report the results of self-study to the Promotion Council.
Improvement is required so that each department’s self-study PDCA cycle ispositioned within the university-wide internal quality assurance system, and so that
the Promotion Council and Development Council can properly manage the systemfrom a university-wide internal quality assurance perspective.
Regarding education, systematic curricula are designed in accordance with thespecializations of each faculty and graduate school. Worth of special mention is thatin order to realize the mission and purpose of the University, it has designed anoriginal curriculum for common undergraduate education courses on the themes of“Christianity,” “Women,” and “International Understanding,” which leads to anunderstanding of the institution’s school motto. In addition, a minor program1

Kinjo Gakuin University(Practical Business English) has been established as an educational activity to put“education for international understanding” into practice across faculties anddepartments, and it is commendable that a system has been established for students
to learn through friendly competition with each other supported by an extensive
system of follow-up provided by the teaching staff.
In terms of social cooperation and social contribution, each affiliatedinstitution provides ongoing support for women, children, and people withdisabilities, thereby sharing the results of the University’s education and researchwith society in line with the University’s mission and purpose. The participation ofstudent staff in activities at some of the facilities also contributes to the improvementof student learning outcomes, which is commendable.
On the other hand, there are several areas for improvement at the graduateschool level. First, in both graduate schools, neither the degree award policy (diplomapolicy) nor the curriculum policy (curriculum policy) are defined separately for each
degree, and in the Graduate School of Human Ecology, the degree award policy andthe curriculum policy do not include the required content. This should be improved.
Graduate School of Humanities does not clearly indicate the criteria for dissertation
examination. This should be improved. Furthermore, some graduate schools have
low ratios of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap. This should beimproved to ensure proper graduate student quota management.
Going forward, the JUAA hopes that the University will resolve these issues
through internal quality assurance initiatives and make greater strides forward by
further developing its outstanding initiatives.
Notable Strengths
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes The common education subjects, consisting of “Kinjo Identity Course,” “KinjoCore Subjects,” and “Kinjo Development Subjects,” are an educational programunique to Kinjo Gakuin University, emphasizing the components of theUniversity’s school motto: “Christianity,” “Women,” and “International
Understanding.” In particular, the fact that “Christianity (1),” “Christianity (2),”and “Women and Their Future” are required subjects, and that related subjects
are offered as elective compulsory courses common to all students iscommendable as an initiative in line with the University’s educational
philosophy of “developing, based on the principles of evangelical Christianity,
women who possess a well-balanced combination of rich humanity and highly
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specialized knowledge.”
Also commendable is the fact that a minor program (Practical Business English)
has been established as a way to put one of the pillars of the University’s
education, “education for international understanding” into practice acrossfaculties and departments. Supported by an extensive system of follow-up
provided by the teaching staff in charge, students can improve their English skills
by inspiring each other across the boundaries of their faculties and departments,
which not only helps them achieve their target TOEIC® test scores, but also has
a positive ripple effect on those faculties and departments. Consideration isunderway of ways to link the program to specialized subjects, so furtherdevelopments can be expected going forward.

Social Cooperation and Contribution
 Based on the school motto, each center, etc., functions as an organization thatprovides ongoing support for women, children, and people with disabilities.
Student staff members also work at the “Kinjo Gakuin Fashion Studio” and the“KIDS Center,” which provide opportunities for students to put their learning
into practice outside the classroom. At the “Psychological Counseling Center,”
graduate students work together with alumni as trainee counselors, and inaddition to providing counseling services, they also provide support for childcareby visiting elementary schools and holding counseling sessions. The “Institutefor Women and Their Future” conducts research on issues specific to women,and in collaboration with Nagoya City and Aichi Prefecture, plans and organizes
programs to promote women’s social advancement. The active participation ofstudent staff and others in each of the activities that address the needs of the local
community is commendable, as it not only shares the outcomes of theUniversity’s education and research with the public, but also provides
opportunities for students to improve their learning outcomes and to think about
their own life plans.
Suggestions for Improvement
Internal Quality Assurance The role of the Internal Quality Assurance Promotion Council (“PromotionCouncil”) and Curriculum Development Council (“Development Council”) islimited to confirming and approving the results of the self-study reported by each3

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department, etc. Regarding self-study by research institutes and centers, eachfacility only conducts periodic self-study and does not report its results to thePromotion Council. Improvements are also required with respect to auxiliary
facilities, ensuring that they are appropriately incorporated into the universitywide internal quality assurance system cycle, and that the Promotion Council andDevelopment Council are more actively involved in the self-study conducted byindividual departments, etc., providing directions and support for improvement
and enhancement from the perspective of university-wide internal quality
assurance.
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes The Master’s and Doctoral Programs at the Graduate School of Humanities andthe Graduate School of Human Ecology have not established separate degree
award policies for each degree. In addition, the Graduate School of HumanEcology does not indicate learning outcomes suitable for the degree to beawarded, and improvements are required to establish appropriate policies.
The Master’s and Doctoral Programs at the Graduate School of Humanities andthe Graduate School of Human Ecology have not established separate curriculum
design and implementation policies for each degree. In addition, the curriculum
design and implementation policy for the Graduate School of Humanities is a setof conditions for graduation, and does not indicate the basic approach tocurriculum design and implementation, so improvements are required toestablish an appropriate policy.

The dissertation examination criteria for the Master’s Course and the Doctoral
Course at the Graduate School of Humanities are the same, and are not clearly
defined for each course. This should be improved.

Student Enrollment
 The ratio of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap is low at 0.40 in theMaster’s Program for the Graduate School of Humanities. This should beimproved to ensure proper graduate student quota management.
University Management and Finance Compared to the average for “private universities with multiple faculties
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including a faculty of pharmacy,” the personnel cost ratios of the University’s
departments are high, while the education and research expense ratio and theratio of operating revenues to expenses were low, and the ratio of financial assets
to the required reserve fund has been decreasing over time. This should beimproved to secure an adequate financial base. Going forward, the University
will be required to improve its finances by considering a medium- to long-term
financial plan that specifies numerical targets and measures to be taken to
improve the situation, and steadily implementing that plan.

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