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

Gunma Prefectural Women's University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: PublicLocation: Gunma, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2016
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April.01.2017 – March.31.2024）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results
for Gunma Prefectural Women’s University
Overview
Gunma Prefectural Women’s University (hereafter, the University) was opened as a university
with a single faculty, the Faculty of Literature, in 1980. Currently, the University has its
campus in Tamamura Town, Sawa-gun, Gunma Prefecture with two faculties and twograduate schools (the faculties of Literature and International Communication and the graduate
schools of Literature and International Communication). The University has made efforts toenhance its education and research activities in order to realize the missions for its
establishment, such as to contribute to “improvement in family lives and cultural development
in local society” and to foster “human talents with broad knowledge to adapt to internationalsociety and expressive sentiments,” as well as its educational mission to foster “vibrant women
who can be socially independent in an international society.”
After its institutional accreditation by the National Institution for Academic Degrees andUniversity Evaluation (now the National Institution for Academic Degrees and Quality
Enhancement of Higher Education) in 2009, the University, led by the Self-Study Management
Committee (which is headed by the president), made efforts for improvements while creatingand publicizing its annual Self-Study Report. Moreover, in 2014 the University not only
stipulated and publicized the three policies, but also began considering the criteria and methods
for measuring competencies acquired by the students.
This is the first accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association(JUAA). In this accreditation, one of the features of the University is that it pays attention totaking courses in a sequential and organized manner by stipulating the curriculum map, whichtakes the three policies in the faculties into consideration. As for student support, it iscommendable that the scholarship system for studying abroad continues, and has become one of
the notable features of the University by allowing many students to participate in study abroad
every academic year. Moreover, since the University has proactively conducted socialcooperation and social contribution activities, especially as part of the Foreign Language
Research Institute, the Center for Gunma Studies and the Center for Community JapaneseLanguage Education have made achievements inside and outside the University. Theseactivities are highly commendable, and JUAA hopes that the University will make further
efforts in this area.
However, the University still has several issues to address. The University, upon
becoming a public university corporation by 2018, must clarify its present educational purposes
as well as stipulate the organizing policies for the faculty organization. Other issues include
conducting reviews of the languages in the curriculum design policy in graduate schools ofLiterature, clarifying grade and evaluation criteria for common subjects in faculties and graduate
schools, implementing organizational efforts for improving educational content and methods, aswell as taking action to improve the ratio of transfer students in some faculties and the ratio ofenrollment in some graduate schools. JUAA hopes that the University will improve these issues
with enhancing the review system.
Notable Strengths
Social Cooperation and Contribution
It is commendable that the University proactively developed a variety of social
contributions by making use of its locality and the resources of various University
institutions. For example, the Foreign Language Research Institute holds the Akashi
Juku and the Akashi Cup, which aim to help local high school students improve theirEnglish. Also, the Center for Gunma Studies holds open classes and on-site classes inwhich prefectural residents can participate. In addition, the Center for Community
Japanese Language Education offers an undergraduate program for training Japanese3language teachers as well as volunteers living in the prefecture, and creates educational
materials to help foreigners living in the local community learn kanji.
Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Content, Methods, and OutcomeIn the Graduate Program in Arts, basic ideas on educational content and methods are notindicated in the curriculum design policy. This should be improved.

In the Graduate Program in Arts, students are allowed to take some undergraduate
courses and the credits are counted as required credits for degree completion. However,the Graduate School does not specifically differentiate the assessment criteria forundergraduate courses. This should be improved from the perspective of qualityassurance for graduate education.

In the Graduate Program in Arts, activities to improve educational content and methods
specific to the Graduate School are not sufficiently conducted. This should be improved.

Enrollment
In the Faculty of Arts, the ratio of transfer students to the transfer student admission cap is
low at 0.30 in the Department of English Language, British and American Culture, 0.67 in
the Department of Aesthetics and Art History, and 0.25 in the Department of Liberal Arts.
These numbers should be improved.

In the Graduate Program in International Communication, the ratio of enrolled students tothe student enrollment cap is low at 0.40. This number should be improved.