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

Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare

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

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2014
Accreditation Status: accredited（Accreditation Period: April.01.2015 – March.31.2022）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare
Overview
Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare (hereafter, the University) was established in1991 with six departments in two faculties to respond to the medical needs of thecurrent age. It embraces the new concept of Medical Welfare, which aims to integrate
education and research in the fields of both medical care and welfare. Currently, theUniversity operates with three faculties, the Faculty of Health and Welfare, the Facultyof Health Science and Technology, and the Faculty of Health and Welfare Services
Administration, and three graduate schools, the Graduate School of Health and Welfare,
the Graduate School of Health Science and Technology, and the Graduate School ofHealth and Welfare Services Administration. The campus is located in Kurashiki city,
Okayama Prefecture.
After its accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association(JUAA) in 2007, the University made efforts to improve first year education byintroducing the Starts Hour and offering clinical education in close cooperation withKawasaki Medical School and other local institutions. In the future, further
development of clinical education, including education in cooperation with multiprofessions is expected. It is commendable that the University has made nationwide
efforts for health education to benefit the middle-aged and elderly, as well as educationand guidance for guardians of developmentally disabled children, including those withautism.
However, while the University has made some efforts to improve the issues
pointed out in the last accreditation review, results in the areas of student enrollment
and the research environment are still insufficient. In addition, although the policies ondegree award and the curriculum design policies are being reviewed, parts of thesepolicies still have not been stipulated. This should be improved. The review system foreach section is also insufficient. Hereafter, the University should define a clear policy
for its internal quality assurance system and develop a review system so that the PDCA
cycle can function properly. Further development of the University is expected byimplementing these measures.
Notable Strengths
Faculty and Faculty Organization
It is commendable that the University has maintained good relationships with thelocal community, contributing the development of special fields not only throughresearch but also practical studies. And it is also commendable that by engaging inthese activities, the University has upgraded the quality of the faculty. Notably, theGraduate School of Health and Welfare Services Administration holds a monthly
research meeting with welfare institutions in the northern part Okayama Prefecture,and invites undergraduate faculty to work collaboratively with staff of thoseinstitutions to conduct research on issues of local welfare. In addition, theUniversity has accepted the requests from various groups and committees inOkayama Prefecture, Kurashiki city and has offered social activities that use design
skills as practical science.

Social Cooperation and Contribution

It is commendable that the University cooperates and collaborates with society
through the following efforts. The University provides autistic children, autistic

3adults, their families, and the professionals who work with them with various
programs through the TEACCH Department. The department’s aim is to support
guardians and educational institutions for autistic children and developmentallydisabled children through education and guidance. For example, it has implemented
the Twenty-Five Times Series of special lectures on autism, including training
seminars, and level-up seminars, for professionals and guardians working withautistic adults and children. Applications for these programs come from around thecountry, and the number of participants is increasing every year.
It is commendable that the Health and Sports Lessons for the Middle-Aged andElderly program, offered by the Department of Health and Sports Science, utilizes
the notable quality of the department and has become well known in the localcommunity. This social service activity has been ongoing for sixteen years, andevery year it has more applicants than the number of positions available. The
program, run in collaboration with Kurashiki city and the Kurashiki Sports
Promotion Foundation, responds to individual needs, with students offering one-onone guidance to participants.

Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Content, Methods, and OutcomeIn all graduate schools, neither the policy on degree award nor the curriculum
design policy for any degree program has been defined. These policies should bestipulated based on the mission and purpose of the University, and made known tothe public.

The criteria for examining degree seeking-dissertation common to all graduate
programs was defined in July 2014, and the addendum of this criteria for eachmajor was also defined at the same time. However, they have not been madeavailable to students. This situation should be improved, by clearly stating them inthe student handbook.

Enrollment
The ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap is low, at 0.35 in themaster’s program in the Graduate School of Health Science and Technology, 0.24
in the master’s program, and 0.17 in the doctoral program in the Graduate School ofHealth and Welfare Services Administration. These numbers should be improved.

The ratio of transfer students to the student admission cap is low at 0.40 in theDepartment of Clinical Psychology and 0.30 in the Department of Nursing in theFaculty of Health and Welfare; at 0.50 in the Department of Health and Sports
Science and 0.67 in the Department of Clinical Nutrition in the Faculty of HealthScience and Technology; and at 0.00 in the Department of Health and WelfareServices Management, 0.00 in the Department of Medical Secretarial Arts, 0.00 inthe Department of Design for Medical and Health Care, and 0.17 in the Departmentof Health Informatics in the Faculty of Health and Welfare Services Administration.
These numbers should be improved.

4Area of Serious Concern
Enrollment
The average ratios of enrolled freshmen to the freshmen admission cap for last five
years is high at 1.22 in the Department of Sensory Science and 1.25 in theDepartment of Medical Engineering in the Faculty of Health Science andTechnology, and 1.20 in the Faculty of Health Science and Technology as a whole.
The ratios are low at 0.44 in the Department of Design for Medical and Health Careand 0.88 in the Department of Health Informatics in the Faculty of Health andWelfare Services Administration. The ratio of enrolled students to the student
enrollment cap is high at 1.20 in the Department of Sensory Science and 1.20 in theDepartment of Medical Engineering in the Faculty of Health Science andTechnology, while the ratio is low at 0.40 in the Department of Design for Medicaland Health Care in the Faculty of Health and Welfare Services Administration and0.89 in the Faculty of Health and Welfare Services Administration as a whole.
These numbers must be improved.