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

Joshibi University of Art and Design

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Kanagawa, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2022
Accreditation Status: accredited（Accreditation Period: April 1, 2023 – March 31, 2030）

Joshibi University of Art and Design

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results
for Joshibi University of Art and DesignOverview
Joshibi University of Art and Design provides art education to realize the guiding
principle of enabling women to achieve independence with professional careers andattain higher social status. Based on this principle, the University sets forth thefounding spirit of “empowering the self-reliance of women through the arts,”“improving the social status of women,” and “producing women teachers in the arts.”
As a single-department institution with the College of Art and Design and theGraduate School of Art and Design, the University has produced many female
sculptors, educators, researchers, and other professionals in the art and design field.
To realize the founding spirit in a modern society, the Management Planning Council
formed under the Board of Directors in AY2018 has created the Joshibi Strategic
Positioning vision to present the University’s direction and roles. The vision sets forth
the University’s ultimate goal of “becoming a one-of-a-kind art university thatnurtures individuals by making the most of women’s unique artistic sensibility.” To
achieve this goal, the University has laid out “art university for women,” “artuniversity with eyes on Asia and the world,” and “art university with high educational
quality” as the three specific types of university it aspires to be. With these ambitions
in mind, the University has formulated the Medium-term Business Plan to conduct
educational and research activities.
The University used to conduct self-study activities with the SelfInspection Committee and the Self-Assessment Committee formed under the Boardof Directors. In AY2021, the University established the University-wide Internal
Quality Assurance Promotion Committee as an internal quality assurance committee,
with the two existing bodies positioned under the new committee to assure the qualityof its education. Under the revised system, the teaching and learning organization
plays a central role in the University’s improvement efforts, but it is unclear how theUniversity-wide Internal Quality Assurance Promotion Committee coordinates withthe divisions, committees, and other bodies, and what role each committee plays.
Further efforts should be made to address this issue, as the University states it willconsider creating a mechanism for implementing improvement and enhancement
measures based on the self-study results.
As for education, the University is in the process of formulating three1

Joshibi University of Art and Design

diploma, curriculum, and admissions policies for each department amid its ongoingreorganization (establishment of a new department). The college’s curriculum isdesigned for students to earn most of the credits required for graduation from
specialized course subjects focusing on practical skills and seminars, with small
group instruction facilitating communication between faculty and students. To
measure students’ generic skills (general social skills), the University conducts tests
based on the same measurement items used at the beginning of enrollment and in thethird year to monitor learning outcomes and analyze how much students have learned
over the past years. The University is also considering the introduction of varioussystems, including a rubric, learning portfolio, course numbering, and diploma
supplement, in the Medium-term Business Plan. To improve its curriculum andeducational methods, the University solicits student input in lesson surveys
conducted every semester and provides the feedback to course instructors.
The University has undertaken several distinctive initiatives with aparticular focus on career support by taking advantage of its art expertise. The Career
Development A-D subjects were designed based on the concept that students withacquired expertise can demonstrate their abilities not only in creative fields but acrossa wide range of career paths. These systematic lessons consist of A: Communication
Skills Development (first-year students), B: Industry Research + SPI Aptitude Test
Preparation, C: Support for Independent Artists and Freelancers, and D: Curriculum
Vitae, Mock Interviews, and Artwork Portfolios. In addition, students are encouraged
to participate in internships at companies, local governments, and other organizations
with credits awarded based on the length of work. For extracurricular activities, theUniversity offers the Shared Workshop system that allows students to take part invarious programs set up by laboratories in order to learn techniques and skills outside
their areas of expertise. In AY2022, the JOSHIBI Artist in Residence program waslaunched to support international career development. It is highly commendable that
the University has developed a systematic student career support system to encourage
students to think broadly about their future careers.
There are several issues regarding the University’s faculty development,
however. Various training opportunities are provided, but the target participants foreach training session are not specified, resulting in low participation rates in somedivisions as well as inadequate management of the participants. Moreover, thegraduate school has not conducted its own FD activities. The University states that
the University-wide Internal Quality Assurance Promotion Committee will address
this situation, but more efforts should be made to systematically organize the2Joshibi University of Art and Designnecessary training sessions and provide absent members with follow-up support andadditional training opportunities.
In the coming years, the University is expected to operate its internal
quality assurance system more effectively with the University-wide Internal Quality
Assurance Promotion Committee fulfilling its role, and address issues by utilizing its
long experience of providing women with art education and advancing its distinctive
initiatives.
Notable Strengths
Student SupportVarious career support programs are offered for students from the first year tograduation. The Career Development A-D subjects systematically teach students
the knowledge and information necessary for art majors to search for career
opportunities, and help them improve their social and other skills. Moreover,JOSHIBI Lab. was created in AY2022 to conduct surveys and research with theaim of facilitating women’s self-actualization through art, and the JOSHIBIArtist in Residence program aimed at supporting international careerdevelopment was launched to return the University’s educational outcomes tostudents. The program invites internationally active female artists to offer
students opportunities to learn firsthand from the artists’ production activities
and lessons during their residency. It is commendable that the University isstepping up these efforts to provide specifically designed career support to meetthe needs of individual students.

Suggestions for Improvement
Internal Quality Assurance
The University’s internal quality assurance policy states that self-study
conducted by the Self-Inspection Committee is assessed by the Self-Assessment
Committee, with instructions for improvement based on the results issued by theUniversity-wide Internal Quality Assurance Promotion Committee. In fact, theSelf-Inspection Committee carries out both inspections and assessments as wellas drafts the improvement proposals, while the other two committees’ tasks are3

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limited to reviewing and approving the assessment results. Moreover, based on
the inspections and assessments conducted in line with the University Standards,
the University-wide Internal Quality Assurance Promotion Committee onlypresents each division and department with issues to be addressed through theUniversity-wide Self-Study Report, without issuing specific instructions forimprovement. This situation should be addressed with the roles of the meetingbodies involved in internal quality assurance clarified to operate the system inaccordance with the policy.
Faculty and Faculty Organization
The graduate school’s own FD activities have not been conducted. This issue
should be addressed with its FD activities appropriately implemented.

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