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

Tenshi College

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Hokkaido, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2018
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April.01.2019 – March.31.2026）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Tenshi CollegeOverview
Tenshi College (hereafter, the College) was established based on the educational
philosophy of “Per Caritatem Ad Veritatem (Through Charity to Truth),” and iscomprised of the School of Nursing and Nutrition, the Graduate School of Nursing andNutrition, and the Master of Midwifery (professional graduate school). To fulfill its
purpose of “cultivating graduates who can contribute to the development of society,” theCollege actively engages in education and research focusing on nursing and nutrition as
well as contribution activities for the city of Sapporo and other regions. In preparation tomark the 70th anniversary of the school’s incorporation in 2017, and the 20th anniversaryof its charter as a college in 2020, the College designed the “Strategic Plan Outline (TP7020)” in 2012 to trace its history and present future goals and action agenda. The College
continues its efforts to draw up future visions that respond to social trends and educational
needs while maintaining its educational philosophy. To advance its educational andresearch activities under these circumstances, the College has conducted several
distinctive initiatives.
Specifically, to pursue education based on its educational philosophy, theCollege established the Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences as an organization
independent of its school; the department offers liberal and arts and science subjects withthe aim to foster Christian humanistic perspectives and provide introductory education
for specialized fields while promoting deeper understanding of the educational
philosophy using the assembly known as the “Assembly Hour.” These initiatives areparticularly notable. The College also actively participates in volunteer activities in thelocal community aimed at enhancing the health of local residents, with more distinctive
efforts expected in the future.
There are several issues the College needs to address, however. First, as for theeducational programs, some departments and graduate school courses lack adequate
content descriptions of their curriculum design and implementation policies, and in termsof monitoring and evaluating student learning outcomes, they fail to implement sufficientmethods of measuring the learning outcomes stated in their degree award policies. The
admission policy is not appropriately established in the graduate schools, with problems
also found in student quota management. Moreover, faculty members are not provided
with sufficient training opportunities for college administration, and both academic and3administrative staff members need to acquire greater knowledge to play a more
responsible role in college administration.
In addition, the “Strategic Plan Outline (TP 7020)” states the objectives ofimplementing regular inspections and assessments of the College’s educational andresearch activities and developing a system aimed at initiating reforms, but serious
problems are found in practice. With the Self-Study Committee positioned as anorganization in charge of the internal quality assurance system, the Education andResearch Council serves the role of implementing self-study activities, and the Tenshi
College Board of Trustees’ Chief and Department Heads Meeting (TMG) plays a major role insupporting the PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycles for the school and graduate schools
despite TMG not being stipulated in the rules and regulations. This situation indicatesthat the organizational system for internal quality assurance is not fully established. Theinternal quality assurance system is partially effective in its functions, including
reviewing the curricula based on the self-study results, but the College needs to clarify
the policies and procedures for internal quality assurance to develop a more effectivesystem.
In the coming years, the College should develop a more effective internal quality
assurance system and make the functions more transparent for third parties to see theresults. Through these efforts, the College is expected to address various issues for furtherdevelopment.
Notable Strengths
Mission and Purpose The “Assembly Hour” is introduced to deepen the understanding of oneself and others
through interactions with friends and other people. With the aim of fostering student
cooperation and independence based on the Catholic ethos, various programs areorganized throughout the year to enhance the understanding of the school’seducational philosophy. Moreover, the College embraces diverse values in modernsociety while introducing themes addressed by students through student
questionnaires to provide a broad sense of humanistic education, including improving
communication skills. It is commendable that the College strives to instill students
with Christian humanistic perspectives and its educational philosophy through the“Assembly Hour,” with efforts to advance the educational content contributing tostudents’ self-directed learning.

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Educational and Research Structure The Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences, established independently of the school
and graduate schools, offers liberal arts and science subjects, including “ Introductionto Christianity,” “ Reading The Bible,” and “ Seminar on Christianity,” with the aim ofteaching the humanities in terms of professional education as well as humanunderstanding to cultivate people with well-rounded character traits based on
Christian humanistic perspectives. These subjects also play a role in advancing to thespecialized fields necessary to study nursing and nutrition. It is commendable that theCollege has established the Department of Liberal Arts and Sciences to enhance its
general education.
Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Program and Outcome The basic concepts related to curriculum design and implementation are not specified
in the curriculum design and implementation policies of the Department of Nutritionof the School of Nursing and Nutrition and the Division of Nutrition Management
Doctoral Program of the Graduate School of Nursing and Nutrition. This issue shouldbe improved.
 The Department of Nutrition of the School of Nursing and Nutrition and the Graduate
School of Nursing and Nutrition do not systematically examine the measurement ofstudent learning outcomes. They use college-withdrawal rates, academic year repeat
rates, and national exam pass rates to monitor and evaluate the outcomes, but it isdifficult to describe the use of these indicators alone as sufficient in measuring thelearning outcomes stated in their degree award policies. This issue should be
improved based on college-wide investigations, with the learning outcomes
effectively measured and the results reflected in improvements to educational contentand methods.
Student Enrollment
 The ratios of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap are low at 0.32 in the5Graduate School of Nursing and Nutrition Master’s Program and 0.40 in the Masterof Midwifery (professional graduate school). These ratios should be improved withthe graduate schools’ student quotas thoroughly managed.
University Management and Finance The All College Staff Retreat is held to deepen the understanding of basic Christianteachings, but faculty members are not adequately provided with training
opportunities for college administration. This issue should be improved with training
opportunities provided for both administrative and academic staff members toenhance the knowledge and knowhow necessary for college management.
Recommendations
Internal Quality Assurance The Self-Study Committee is positioned as an organization responsible for promotinginternal quality assurance and implementing self-study activities, but with self-study
also included in the review items of the Education and Research Council, theallocation of roles is not clarified. In terms of supporting the PDCA cycles for theschool and graduate schools based on the self-study results, the Tenshi College Boardof Trustees’ Chief and Department Heads Meeting (TMG) plays a part despite no rules
and regulations stipulating TMG, and the roles and authority among theseorganizations are not fully established under the internal quality assurance system.
This situation must be corrected with the policies and procedures for internal quality
assurance articulated and a more effective internal quality assurance systemdeveloped.
Student Enrollment
 The admission policy is not established for each course in the Graduate School of
Nursing and Nutrition. This issue must be corrected with the policy defined andannounced.