Results for Certified Evaluation and Accreditation for Junior CollegeOtani University Junior College

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

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2015
Accreditation Status: accredited（Accreditation Period: April.01.2016– March.31.2023）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results
for the Otani University Junior CollegeOverview
The Otani University Junior College has its roots in a “dormitory for students” thatHigashi Hongan-ji Temple established in 1665, which later became Otani University. In
1949, after the new Japanese higher education system was introduced and Otani
University was incorporated into the new system. Its junior college, the Otani
University Junior College (hereafter, the College), was founded in 1950. Since then, theCollege has established and reorganized its academic units and currently operates withtwo departments: the Department of Buddhist Studies, and the Department of Early
Childhood and Nursery Education. With its two campuses, one located in Kyoto City,
Kyoto Prefecture, and the other located in Otsu City, Shiga Prefecture, it has developed
its research and educational activities based on its founding spirit.
After its accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association(JUAA) in 2008, the College has made the issue of enrollment management in theDepartment of Buddhist Studies the utmost priority and has made improvements in thisarea. At the Presidents’ Meeting in December 2014, the decision was made toreorganize the College and the entire Otani University, and a plan was established toundertake the reorganization effort after 2018.
The College has made several unique efforts. For example, the College has
made sure to inform students of its founding mission through the use of a common
textbook, “Learning at Otani University: Founding Spirit,” in the class “Buddhism andHuman Being I.” The College has also introduced practice-based educational programs,
including fieldwork performed in the Department of Buddhist Studies and practiceoriented learning in the Department of Early Childhood and Nursery Education.
Through these programs, the College has strengthened students’ motivation to learn
through various kinds of participatory and experiential classes and events. Moreover, ineach department, the College has created a research office that supports students’learning and life activities, where faculty members and administrative staff are always
available to respond to students’ needs and every eventuality. In terms of internal quality
assurance, the College has formulated objectives and action plans for each academic
and administrative unit based on its Grand Design, and has conducted self-studies at theend of each academic year.
However, the College has some issues to address, including the content of its
admission policies for each department and the way it projects the students that eachdepartment wishes to recruit (i.e., “the image of prospective students”). JUAA hopesthat the College will make improvements on these issues.
Notable Strength
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome

It is commendable that the College has motivated students to learn through various
kinds of participatory and experiential classes and events. For example, the College
has had students conduct fieldwork in the Department of Buddhist Studies,including the “Shinran Walk” in which students visit places that are remembered inconnection to Shinran, a founder of the Jodo Shinshu Buddhism, and the “BuddhaWalk,” in which students visit the remains of Buddhist places in northern India. Inthe Department of Early Childhood and Nursery Education, students participate inmany practice-based education events such as “Integrated Expression of Childcare
Content” and “One-Day Camp Seminar of the Early Childhood Education
Department.”3Suggestions for Improvements
Enrollment
In regards to the admission policies, the Department of Buddhist Studies and theDepartment of Early Childhood and Nursery Education refer to the same “imagesof prospective students” and the same standards for knowledge and skills. Thissituation should be improved, with each department formulating its own policies,
considering properly the relation between admission policies and policies on degree
award and to curriculum design policies.

In the Department of Buddhist Studies, the average of the ratios of the last fiveyears of enrolled freshmen to the freshman admission cap is low at 0.53, and theratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap is also low at 0.68. Thisshould be improved.

Administration and Finance

As the financial situation of the College has had unfavorable on the entire Otani
University, the College should improve its balance management of settled accounts
in a fiscal year by bringing the imputed income and expenditure balance into asurplus.