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

Fukuoka Jo Gakuin Nursing University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Fukuoka, Japan

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

Fukuoka Jo Gakuin Nursing University

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Fukuoka Jo Gakuin Nursing University
Overview
Fukuoka Jo Gakuin Nursing University was established in 2008 to cultivate capablestudents who can play an active role in the field of nursing and medical care, incompliance with Fukuoka Jo Gakuin's founding mission, which is to educate women inthe spirit of Christian. The university’s educational philosophy is “to foster capablestudents possessed with human dignity and an ethical sense based on the Christian spirit
who can practice human caring, and to contribute to society”. The aim is to teach andresearch the expertise and technology in the field of nursing and health care in accordancewith the spirit of the founding of Fukuoka Jo Gakuin grounded in Christianity, and at thesame time, foster women in the nursing and health care profession who have the requisite
skills and knowledge, humanity to contribute to community medicine and improvingpeople’s vitality”. The University has formulated a medium-term plan for the period up
to AY 2021 and is operating based on a roadmap that embodies this plan.
With regard to an internal quality assurance system, the University is building asystem in which 3 levels are organically linked to constantly improve and elevate basedon checks and assessment: the class level involving each faculty member, staff, andstudent, various committees, the “Quality Review Committee”, the educational programlevel involving the faculty council, and also the University level involving the President
and the “Steering Council”. Moreover, from 2019, the “IR Promotion Committee” wasestablished, and the same committee analyzes the data and extracts issues to strengthen
the relationship between the quality assurance cycle at the level of education program andof the University. However, as it is difficult to say that the authority and role oforganizations that play a major role in internal quality assurance, such as the “SteeringCouncil,” are properly defined in the official regulations, some improvements arerequired.
The educational program systematically organizes the course layout andarranges the curriculum in consideration of order in accordance with the educational
mission and related laws and regulations. In order to ascertain and assess the learning
outcomes of students, class assessment questionnaires, graduation assessment
questionnaires, as well as obtaining opinions in response to graduates and places ofemployment are all conducted. These results are examined at the level of educational
programs, and then analyzed and examined at the “Steering Council.”1

Fukuoka Jo Gakuin Nursing University

For the simulation-based education that started in AY 2016, the University set
up a dedicated facility and simulator capable of conducting sufficient education, andconstructed a new teacher system staffed with full-time teachers. Not only is this used forregular curricula, but it is also expanding to form associations with student club activities,
open up local hospitals, and educate in-service hospital nurses. It can thus be said to be acharacteristic and effective method of education. Furthermore, the University has
developed a conceptual “Mission Town” that can be shared in ways ranging from
specialized basic subjects to specialized subjects as a teaching material for simulationbased education. By using this teaching material to adopt active learning to learn whilesolving the health problems of virtual residents in the town, the University has achieved
results such as improving the students’ ambition to learn and cultivating a deeper
understanding of their academic courses. This is a remarkable method of education which
can be highly commended. In addition, due to the rapid increase in foreigners staying inJapan from 2018, the University plans to start the International Patient Medical Support
Specialist Course (IPMSSC) to eliminate linguistic drawbacks and acquire the ability toprovide fair and appropriate nursing. They are also developing a curriculum for this, andexpect results as an initiative that meets social demands.
We hope that the internal quality assurance system will take root and function
effectively, and that it will develop distinctive and pioneering educational practices, so it
will make a further leap forward.
Notable Strengths
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes The e-learning teaching material “Mission Town,” where teachers from all nursing
fields participated in its scenario development, is an e-learning material that allows
virtual residents spanning from newborns to the elderly to grow and develop as theacademic year progresses and students use active learning to study each issue in depth.
It is a unique ICT educational material that has proven useful for improving students’motivation to learn. Furthermore, setting up a city hall that accumulates various dataon the virtual residents in the virtual area and utilizing this data in health statistics
classes, enables the University to train nurses equipped with statistical thinking.
Students report a high level of satisfaction because they can effectively learn theknowledge and skills necessary to become a nurse while visualizing the field (actualpractice). It is also useful for generating interest in statistics, so it can be commended2

Fukuoka Jo Gakuin Nursing University

as leading to the practice of high quality education.
Education and Research EnvironmentCompleted in AY 2016, Kyushu's first “Simulation Education Center” specializing
in nursing is equipped with 4 simulation rooms, 2 control rooms, etc., and byintroducing the latest simulations, telecommunications equipment, and devices, thisultramodern educational facility will lead the direction of future nursing education,
enabling the development of simulation-based education that faithfully reproduces
the medical field. It is an opportunity for each domain to use this facility to adopt
active learning, integrate students’ specialized knowledge, skills, and approaches,
while fostering an independent attitude to learning. While also based on the spirit ofChristianity, this facility serves as an “open educational facility” that is open to otherfacilities. From the outset, the University has set up educational cooperation meetings
with other universities and hospital facilities, and held seminars to train teachers toemploy simulation-based education. Visitors are not limited to teachers, nurses, andstudents from other facilities, but also a diverse range that includes junior high school
students, high school students and their parents, as well as local citizens who wish to
go on to medical colleges, and is commendable for contributing to the general public.

Suggestions for Improvement
Internal Quality Assurance As the authority and role related to internal quality assurance for the “SteeringCouncil,” which is the final decision-making body for internal quality assurance, andthe “IR Promotion Committee,” which assesses and verifies organizational
management, research, and administration isn’t clarified in the regulations, etc.,
improvements are required to properly define the authority and role of organizations
that play a major role in internal quality assurance.

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