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

Taisho University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokyo, Japan

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

Taisho University

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Taisho University
Overview
Based on Buddhist philosophy, Taisho University has made education and researchaccording to “practicing wisdom and compassion” its founding mission. The University
re-acknowledged its founding mission in 2009, and in order to widely publicize the factthat all activities at the University are for the purpose of fulfilling that mission, it
formulated the educational vision Nurturing Four Qualities and has been fostering humanresources who embody “compassion,” “self-reliance,” “the middle path,” and“coexistence.” Furthermore, the University formulated the Mid-Term Master Plan afterthat same year, and it has been implementing such initiatives as establishing faculties,
implementing curricula, supporting student life, and renovating its campus as a mid-termplan in line with the framework TSR (Taisho University Social Responsibility), adistinctive approach to management.
With respect to internal quality assurance, the University has established theCheck and Review Supervisory Committee and the University Check and Review
Committee, which implement university-wide checks and reviews, along with theConference of the Office of the President, which promotes improvements and progress
for the results of checks and reviews. The Check and Review Supervisory Committee,
which is presided over by the chair of the Board of Trustees, has established acomprehensive and systematic policy for checks and reviews from a university-wideperspective. The University Check and Review Committee, which is presided over by theVice President in charge of education, verifies the checks and reviews of eachundergraduate and graduate division, the secretariat, and so forth, and prepares the selfstudy report. The Check and Review Supervisory Committee and the External
Assessment Committee verify and assess the self-study report prepared by the University
Check and Review Committee. The University has built a framework in which it reports
the self-study report to the Conference of the Office of the President, which is presided
over by the president, so that it can be incorporated in the measures prepared for thefollowing academic year, and PDCA cycles are functioning properly.
With respect to education, the University has stipulated the university-wide
degree award policy (diploma policy) in the Three Policies of Taisho University, and it
has clearly defined the three domains of “knowledge and skills,” “thought, judgement,and expression,” and “interest, motivation, and attitude” based on its founding mission
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and educational vision. Nevertheless, with respect to the ascertainment and assessment oflearning outcomes in its undergraduate programs, although the University is suitably
making endeavors in general, readjustment is necessary in the departments and coursesof some faculties. Furthermore, improvements are needed in its graduate programs as themethods for ascertaining learning outcomes in some majors have not entirely beenclarified.
On the other hand, it is commendable that the University promotes the initiative
Distinctive Community Contribution and Social Cooperation, which is listed in the Five
Social Responsibilities of its operational mission TSR (Taisho University SocialResponsibility), and has been producing results by cooperating with education. In
particular, in the Faculty of Regional Development, the University has been implementing
extended community-based practical training that spans two months each year from thefirst through the third. This is highly commendable as an initiative that steadily produces
results, such as being able to recognize progress in the awareness and understanding of
local issues among students of said faculty from such resources as the grades of relevant
subjects and questionnaires.
Hereafter, it is essential that the University endeavors in quality assurance andprogress by making its newly built framework for internal quality assurance function sothat it further reinforces the strengths of the University while overcoming its weaknesses,
especially in education.
Notable Strengths
Social Cooperation and Contribution
 Besides concluding comprehensive agreements with a number of local governments
including Toshima City, contributing to community promotion and revitalization bysolving local issues, and fostering human resources through participating in student
town development, the University has been active in social cooperation activities
under its cooperative framework with external organizations. For example,
promoting projects that contribute to the development of the local community,
including industry-academia cooperative projects involved in community
revitalization by universities, businesses, and organizations cooperating together aswell as human resource development support for local businesses. Moreover, theUniversity has made subjects on community cooperation and contribution requiredin all faculties, and students have also been endeavoring in social contribution
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activities during their education—for example, in the Faculty of Regional
Development, it implements extended community-based practical training at partner
local governments that spans two months in the required subjects of each year fromthe first through the third—and it has been steadily producing results in the progressof students' awareness and understanding of local issues. Considering these
initiatives, it is commendable that faculty members, staff, and students are working
closely to promote Distinctive Community Contribution and Social Cooperation
listed in the University's operational mission TSR (Taisho University SocialResponsibility).
Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes Improvements are needed so that the University suitably measures learning outcomesas it is difficult to say that the learning outcomes indicated in the degree award
policies are correlated with their measurement indicators in the Major in Buddhist
Studies at Advanced Buddhist Studies, the Major in Religious Studies at Advanced
Literary Studies, and the Major in History as well as the Major in Japanese Literature
at said graduate school.

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