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

Gakushuin University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokyo, Japan

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

Gakushuin University

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Gakushuin University
Overview
Gakushuin University, founded on Gakushuin School Corporation’s purpose of“cultivating individuals of noble character and steadfast judgement; individuals who,
possessed of thoughtfulness and deep awareness, are ideally equipped to contributeto the modern world” and its educational goals of “A Broad Outlook, Strong
Creativity, and Deep Sensitivity,” sets forth the purpose of its undergraduate
education as “conducting research and teaching detailed and profound academic
theories and applications and nurturing valued individuals, thereby contributing tocreative cultural development and human welfare.” The purpose of its graduate
education is defined as “teaching and conducting research of advanced andspecialized academic theories and applications based on undergraduate education,
thereby contributing to cultural advancement and human welfare,” while theprofessional graduate school’s purpose is “teaching and conducting research ofacademic theories and applications and nurturing profound knowledge andoutstanding abilities for individuals to perform highly specialized professional duties.”
To achieve these purposes and educational goals, the school corporation created themedium-term Gakushuin VISION 150 and the University developed the medium- tolong-term Gakushuin U. Grand Design 2039 (hereafter, the Grand Design) throughwhich they work to enhance the University’s educational and research activities.
With respect to internal quality assurance, the University has establishedthe Internal Quality Assurance Committee as an organization responsible forpromoting internal quality assurance. In addition, the External Assessment
Committee, IR Promotion Committee, Faculty Development Committee, and otherrelevant organizations assume their respective roles in internal quality assurance. In
this way, the University has set in place a system to improve the functioning of thePDCA cycle. Since AY2022, the University has been working to establish a newinternal quality assurance system in compliance with the Grand Design under new
rules that clearly define the roles of the individual organizations. Under theinstructions of the Internal Quality Assurance Committee, individual faculties,
graduate schools, and administrative sections annually conduct self-studies. Thecommittee examines the self-study results, conducts its own university-wide selfstudy, reports the results to the External Assessment Committee and seeks advice as1

Gakushuin University

necessary. In reality, however, the Internal Quality Assurance Committee makessuggestions but does not consider specific improvement measures, even though thecommittee, in response to the External Assessment Committee’s advice, is expected
to instruct the faculties and graduate schools to work for improvements. The Internal
Quality Assurance Committee does not go beyond reviewing the contents of eachfaculty and graduate school's self-study and the progress of improvements. Moreover,
improvements have not been made for the issues pointed out in the last certified
evaluation and accreditation results. The Internal Quality Assurance Committee as
the main organization promoting internal quality assurance should actively work to
fulfill its role and engage in university-wide management to ensure more effectivefunctioning of the PDCA cycle.
With regard to education, the University sets forth the diploma policy foreach faculty, department, graduate school, and graduate course based on theuniversity-wide diploma policy. Under the curriculum policy on the basis of thediploma policy, the University develops structured curricula offering courses
appropriate for each degree program. In general, the University properly assesses theacademic achievements, grants credits and awards degrees. With respect to assessing
student learning outcomes, curriculum maps have been prepared to easily identify
the connection between the learning outcomes specified in the diploma policy andthe individual subjects. However, the connection between the measurement methods
and the learning outcomes in the diploma policy is unclear, although learning
outcomes can be assessed to some degree in line with the assessment policy using
the results of various surveys, dissertations, and other achievements. This situation
requires improvement.
As a distinctive feature, the University has created the newinterdisciplinary field of Human Life Science to achieve its purpose of “creativecultural development” by establishing the Graduate Course in Life Science in theGraduate School of Science and the Department of Life Science in the Faculty ofScience on the basis of the Institute for Biomolecular Science’s research activities,
and is making university-wide efforts for arts and sciences-combined integrated
research by taking advantage of its “one-campus.” This effort is highly commendable.
With respect to its social cooperation and contribution, the University is working withToshima Ward to address community issues by playing the central role in organizing
Japanese language classes for local foreign residents, and “Nihongo Net Toshima”
comprised of administrative agencies and other relevant bodies is providing
opportunities to learn Japanese. The University also seeks to cultivate human2

Gakushuin University

resources who can engage in Japanese language education and develop educational
materials to contribute to enhancing the professional skills of students involved inJapanese language education. This effort is also highly commendable.
There are several issues the University needs to address, however, inaddition to internal quality assurance and assessment and evaluation of learning
outcomes described above. First, with respect to credit substantiation, the Departmentof History in the Faculty of Letters sets a maximum limit on the number of credits
students are allowed to register in a year, but for courses to acquire qualifications,which are not subject to the credit cap, students register an excessive number ofcredits. This indicates that the University’s efforts to ensure credit substantiation areinsufficient. In some graduate courses, the ratios of enrolled students to the student
enrollment caps are low and require improvement. Furthermore, Faculty
Development (FD) and Staff Development (SD) are inadequate and requireimprovements.
Going forward, JUAA expects the University to expand its distinctive
activities and address the above issues, while the Internal Quality AssuranceCommittee ensures that the university-wide PDCA cycle is functioning effectively.

Notable Strengths
Educational and Research Organizations
To achieve its purpose of “creative cultural development,” the University
established the Graduate Course in Life Science in the Graduate School ofScience and the Department of Life Science in the Faculty of Science on the basisof the Institute for Biomolecular Science’s research activities. The University is
promoting arts and sciences-combined integrated research in the fields ofcognitive impairment, cancer, aging, and regenerative medicine, with theFaculties of Science, Law, Economics and Letters as well as the “Centre forSports and Health Sciences” and the “Global Exchange Organisation for
Research and Education” working together to create the new interdisciplinary
field of Human Life Science. These efforts are commendable.

Social Cooperation and Contribution
In collaboration with Toshima Ward, the University organizes Japanese language
3

Gakushuin University

classes for local foreign residents. This activity has grown into the Nihongo Net
Toshima project consisting of administrative organizations and other relevantbodies. The University plays a central role in expanding the project’sorganization, making good use of university resources, and providing
opportunities to learn the Japanese language. It is noteworthy that the University
is contributing to solving regional issues. The University also seeks to cultivate
human resources who can engage in Japanese language education and develop
educational materials, thereby contributing to the professional skills
development of students involved in Japanese language education. These efforts
are commendable.
Suggestions for Improvement
Internal Quality AssuranceIn response to suggestions from the External Assessment Committee regarding
the results of self-studies conducted by faculties and graduate schools, theInternal Quality Assurance Committee is expected to instruct the faculties andgraduate schools to work for improvements. However, the Internal Quality
Assurance Committee only passes on suggestions to the relevant faculties andgraduate schools, and does not consider specific measures for improvement. Thecommittee does not go beyond reviewing the contents of each faculty andgraduate school's self-study and the progress of improvement. Moreover,improvements have not been made for the issues pointed out in the last certified
evaluation and accreditation results. The Internal Quality Assurance Committeeas the main organization promoting internal quality assurance should support
improvements based on the results of each faculty and graduate school’s selfstudy and actively engage in university-wide management to ensure more
effective functioning of the PDCA cycle.

Educational Program and Learning OutcomesAll faculties set a maximum limit on the number of credits student can registerin a year, but the Department of History in the Faculty of Letters sets a limit at58, and exempts from the limit some courses to acquire qualifications. With thesecourses included, students register an excessive number of credits. Other efforts

4

Gakushuin University

to ensure credit substantiation are also insufficient. As this issue was also pointed
out in the last certified evaluation and accreditation results, the University should
review its efforts and make improvements in line with the purpose of the credit
system.
In the faculties and graduate schools, the connection between the measurement
methods and the learning outcomes specified in the diploma policy is unclear,although they do assess learning outcomes on the basis of surveys, dissertations,and other achievements. The University should undertake improvements toappropriately assess and evaluate student learning outcomesStudent Enrollment
The ratios of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap are low at 0.10 in
the Master's Course in Law, 0.22 in the Doctoral Course in Law, 0.23 in theMaster’s Course in Political Studies, 0.20 in the Doctoral Course in PoliticalStudies, 0.30 in Master’s Course in Economics, and 0.31 in the Doctoral Coursein Science. The University should adopt measures to ensure that the graduate
schools’ student quotas are thoroughly managed.

Faculty and Faculty Organization
The internal regulations for recruitment, hiring, and promotion in the Faculty of
Law stipulate that “the faculty takes into account all factors, including years ofexperience, educational achievements and research outcomes, in evaluating
candidates for recruitment, hiring, and promotion,” but the only condition forpromotion clearly set forth is the number of years after graduating fromuniversity. This issue was also pointed out in the last certified evaluation andaccreditation results, and the University should examine the propriety of thecriteria and set forth specific conditions.

The Graduate School of Science has failed to implement its own FD activities
and should take steps to implement FD.

5

Gakushuin University

University Management and FinanceFaculty member SD is not sufficiently implemented, and the University shouldmake institutional efforts to enhance the faculties’ knowledge and abilities andto promote the measures outlined in the Policy on University Management withfaculty and staff working in collaboration.

6