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

Sendai Shirayuri Women's College

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Miyagi, Japan

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

Sendai Shirayuri Women's College

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Sendai Shirayuri Women's CollegeOverview
Sendai Shirayuri Women's College, according to its founding spirit and educational
philosophy, has made “Fostering human resources who are capable of contributing farand wide to the welfare of humanity by endeavoring always to understand and assist
people as well as actively respond to social change according to the founding spirit of ourparent organization, Sisters of St. Paul of Chartres” its mission statement. Moreover, theUniversity has established “Providing higher education for women based on the spirit ofChristianity in accordance with the Basic Act on Education and the School Education Act”
as its purpose.
In order to clarify its mid- to long-term vision for education and research as wellas administration along with conducting educational and research activities as well as
administrative tasks for the goals posited by the University, the University has formulated
the Mid-term Objectives and Plan to continuously, voluntarily, and independently
improve and progress based on regular endeavors in checks and reviews.
With regard to internal quality assurance, it has been conducted under a newframework since 2019; however, the Committee of Department Chairs, which theframework is built around, has been unable to fulfill its function as an organization for
promoting internal quality assurance, and the framework and mechanisms for internal
quality assurance have not been sufficiently developed. The University needs to make its
internal quality assurance system function effectively in addition to reexamining it inorder to advance educational outcomes and enrich education.
In the case of education, the University established graduation certification anddegree award policies (diploma policies) as well as curriculum design andimplementation policies (curriculum policies) in the faculty and each department basedon its purpose and the respective missions of the four departments, and it has organized
the curricula according to these with a consideration for students being able to study
beginning with basic and liberal arts subjects—including those related to its founding
spirit—and advancing to specialized and certification subjects. Moreover, the University
has been providing active and self-reliant learning opportunities through experience andpractice both on and off campus, such as seminars, practical training, fieldwork, andinternships. In the case of the Common Basic Seminar as the foundation of first year
education, the University has been implementing programs to enable students to acquire1

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the abilities to think independently and express themselves beyond departmentboundaries.
There are, however, several issues that need to be resolved. Regarding education,a considerable number of students have evidently registered credits in excess of themaximum number permissible in a year. Therefore, further initiatives are necessary forreexamination based on substantiating the credit system as well as measuring the students'
learning outcomes from various methods and angles. To that end, it is hoped that theUniversity will develop mechanisms for regularly conducting checks and reviews
concerning curricula and the educational programs and methods contained within.
Moreover, regarding enrollment, suitably implementing student quotas is needed
as some departments have evidently been unable to meet their quotas.
In order to improve these issues as well as promote its education and research
activities hereafter based on its founding spirit and mission statement, it is expected of
the University to constantly conduct checks and reviews, and by reinforcing anddeveloping the framework for its internal quality assurance system, to enhance its
effectiveness.
Suggestions for Improvement
Internal Quality Assurance While it has been stipulated that the Committee of Department Chairs, theorganization that promotes internal quality assurance, to properly operationalize thePDCA cycles conducted by each department, its actual role stops at selecting
priorities based on the annual objectives submitted by each department, and it has not
fulfilled its function as an organization for promoting internal quality assurance.
Moreover, the state of cooperation with other organizations pertaining to internal
quality assurance, such as the Check and Review Committee and councils, has notbeen clarified, and from the fact that the framework and mechanisms for internalquality assurance are insufficient, improvements are needed in order for theUniversity to resolve these issues and to make its internal quality assurance system
function effectively.
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes Although the University has set a maximum number of credits that students can2

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register in a year in all departments as a measure to substantiate credits, students havebeen permitted to register up to 64 credits regarding those who have submitted study
plans and been approved. Furthermore, students have been permitted to registercredits in excess of this maximum with regard to such subjects as those concernedwith acquiring certification, and a considerable number of students have registered
more than 50 credits in a year. Moreover, in 2020, the University removed themaximum number it had set due to incorporating remote classes in order to preventthe spread of COVID-19. Other than setting a limit on the number of registrable
credits, no other satisfactory measures have been taken to substantiate credits.
Therefore, the University should improve the situation in view of the purpose of thecredit system.
 Since 2019, the University has attempted to objectively ascertain learning outcomesby introducing PROG tests for all students; however, it was not able to clarify theirrelevance to the learning outcomes indicated in the degree award policies, and it isdifficult to say that it has been able to sufficiently measure said learning outcomes.
Improvements are needed so that each department effectively measures learning
outcomes and utilizes those results in improving its educational programs andmethods.
Recommendation
Student Enrollment
With regard to the average ratios of new student enrollment to the student enrollment
cap for the past five years, the Department of Human Developmental Science at theFaculty of Human Sciences is low at 0.65 and the Department of Psychology andSocial Work at the said faculty is low at 0.66. Moreover, with regard to the ratios ofstudent enrollment to the student enrollment cap, the undergraduate program as awhole at the Faculty of Human Sciences is low at 0.78, the Department of HumanDevelopmental Science at said faculty is low at 0.57, and the Department ofPsychology and Social Work at said faculty is low at 0.62. Therefore, we would likethe University to correct its course so that it thoroughly implements student quotas
for its faculty.

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