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

Keisen University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokyo, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2017
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April.01.2018 – March.31.2025）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Keisen University
Overview
Keisen University (hereafter, the University) emerged from Keisen School, which was founded
in 1929, and was established in Tama-city in Tokyo in 1963 as a college for Faculty ofHumanities with the objective to impart education to women based on the School’s education
philosophy of “fear God, love human beings and nurture life.” Later, it was reorganized intofaculties and departments, setting up the Faculty of Humanities (Department of Japanese
Language and Culture, Department of English Communication and Department of History andCulture) and the Faculty of Human and Social Studies (Department of International SocialStudies, Department of Studies on Contemporary Society and Department of Psychology andHorticulture) by 2014. It has also established the Graduate School of Humanities and Graduate
School of Peace Studies for Master’s courses. The Department of History and Culture of theFaculty of Humanities and the Department of Studies on Contemporary Society of the Facultyof Human and Social Studies stopped accepting applications from academic year 2016. TheUniversity was reorganized again in 2017 and currently conducts educational and research
activities under the new framework of two faculties and four departments.
After its accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association (JUAA)
in 2010, the University submitted a Progress Report in 2014 based on the suggestions providedin the review and made improvements. During this period, the University underwent a severe
shortage of students after 2011 and has been carrying out reforms to deal with this urgent
challenge. Despite establishing a Future Envisioning Committee in September 2014 and theFirst Reform Headquarters in January 2015, there was a pressing need for more radical reforms
at the time. This led to the establishment of the Second Reform Headquarters which was alsojoined by the Current President. This unit has been promoting reforms under close
collaboration between the board of trustees and the University. In 2015, the University adopted
a new slogan “honing the ability for lifelong work” to match the demands of the times based on
the Keisen University Mid-Term Plan (2015-2018) and the University’s educational activities
since it was established. In addition, it is striving to convey the University’s uniqueness as well
as secure and nurture students by overhauling its undergraduate education policy andannouncing it as the “Three Policies of Keisen University” on the university website.
In the course of undertaking reforms in accordance with the demands of the times, theUniversity continues to constantly overhaul itself, while at the same time expanding and3intensifying field studies (FS) abroad and community service learning (CSL) in theneighboring community as well as providing various other experiential learning programs
through its subjects. It also encourages active social contribution by students in teaching
English to primary school students in the neighboring community, reading to children andelderly people and cooperating in using rural woodlands (satoyama). The University’s efforts
to spread its appeal and contribute to the growth of students through such activities are highlycommendable. Moreover, under its objective of “zero dropouts” and providing financial
support, it has appointed academic advisors for all students by introducing class-based teacherassignment system from 2016 in addition to the existing seminar advisors. The efforts of theUniversity to grasp the problems faced by students at an early stage and guide them, and tocreate a channel for students to feel comfortable and seek guidance are highly commendable.
On the other hand, the average of ratios of freshman enrollment to the freshmanenrollment cap and the ratios of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap have fallen in
the last five years, and must be rectified. In addition, the University has made sufficientadjustments in its educational objectives for the whole university, its degree award policy,curriculum design and implementation policy and admission policy. While the University’s
intent to strive under these policies is fully understandable, it is desirable that the University
formulates sub-policies for each faculty under these policies and announces them publicly.
Furthermore, issues remain in the curriculum design and implementation policy for theGraduate School of Peace Studies and the research supervision plan for the graduate schools.
The University should continue to make improvements in these areas.
Notable Strengths
Educational Content, Methods, and OutcomeAs hands-on learning included in the regular curriculum, there are short-term and longterm field study (FS) programs that allow students to participate in activities overseas andexperience serious issues such as development, poverty and discrimination on-site. The
long-term field study program, in particular, comprises prior learning at the university, onsite learning through lectures and experiential activities and post learning at the university,
upon the completion of which the students present their research at the FS reporting
session or university festival. It serves as an opportunity to share useful information withstudents considering participation in these programs and students participating in shortterm FS. Moreover, the University also conducts a practical course in Community Service4Learning (CSL) which enables students to engage in social activities in collaboration withlocal governments and welfare organizations. In this subject, students who have attended
the subject on “service learning methodology” get an opportunity to work as volunteers in
the region and gain practical knowledge in skills and attitude required for taking part incommunity-based activities. These subjects are commendable as educational methods thathelp develop human resources who can resolve issues independently and contribute tosociety.
Student SupportIt is commendable that the University undertakes minute-level initiatives, such as classbased teacher assignment system aimed at attaining a zero-dropout rate and the Cafeteria
Learning Commons, to work as a unit toward supporting students faced with issues andproviding a safety net to prevent early drop-outs. For this purpose, the University
collaborates not only with individual faculty members and subject faculty members but
also with administrative staff in each department and even parents. Furthermore, thismechanism enables the directly-related faculty members to share the needs and issues theygrasp with the entire university and work towards improvement. It is designed to aid fastand necessary action in an appropriate manner. In addition, each student is assigned ateacher she can consult and there are multiple channels of communication, providing anenvironment in which students can freely seek consultation. It is commendable that theUniversity strives to build a stance of working as a unit to protect diverse students using
various methods while closing the distance between students and the university andcreating a comfortable space for the students.

Social Cooperation and Contribution
Centered around its efforts for English language education, the University operates theKeisen English Education Society (KEES) and the Keisen Ohanashi wo kataru kai incooperation with neighboring facilities to enable students to interact with people fromdifferent fields of life and ages, and help students develop practical communication skills.
The University also carries out the Keisen Onoji Satoyama Project in which it regenerates
and manages paddy fields and woodlands of Onoji town in Machida city. Through thisproject the students of the Department of Psychology and Horticulture in the Faculty of
Human and Social Studies collaborate and cooperate with regional groups and residents to5protect the regional environment. These activities meet the demands of the community inwhich the University is located and provide students with the opportunity to deepen
collaboration and cooperation with society by constantly playing a central role, which iscommendable.
Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Content, Methods, and OutcomeAlthough the University has formulated a degree award policy and curriculum design andimplementation policy for the whole university, faculty-wise policies have not been
established. This issue needs to be addressed.

The curriculum design and implementation policy of the Graduate School of PeaceStudies does not indicate the school’s basic concept of educational content and instruction
and should be rectified.

In the Graduate School of Humanities and the Graduate School of Peace Studies, theresearch supervision plan is explained orally, but the method and content of researchsupervision are not stated in the Course Guidelines and the research supervision plan is not
sufficiently clarified to the students. This should be addressed.

Enrollment
Although the University formulated an admission policy for the whole university in 2017,
faculty-wise policies have not been established. This issue needs to be addressed.

The ratios of transfer students to transfer student quota were low at 0.38 in the Departmentof English Communication of the Faculty of Humanities and 0.13 in the Department ofPsychology and Horticulture of the Faculty of Human and Social Studies in 2017. Thisshould be rectified.

Administration and Finance
The ratio of the financial assets to the required reserve fund remained low and the rate of

6the carried over surplus expenditures for next year to the activity income (imputed income)continued to rise, indicating that the financial base is unsatisfactory. Amid falling income
from tuition and other student fees and considering that the enrollment quota has been
reduced from 2017, the University should verify the status of target values set in theKeisen University Mid-term Plan (2015-2018) and review its financial plan in view of thecurrent situation.
Area of Serious ConcernEnrollment
In 2017, the average of ratios of freshman enrollment to the freshman enrollment cap andthe ratios of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap for the last five years werelow at 0.73 and 0.63 respectively for the whole university. These ratios were also low at
0.80 and 0.68 respectively for the Faculty of Humanities, and 0.84 and 0.70 respectively
for the Department of Japanese Language and Culture and 0.86 and 0.70 respectively for
the Department of English Communication of the same faculty. The ratios stood low at
0.67 and 0.58 for the Faculty of Human and Social Studies, and 0.66 and 0.54 respectively
for the Department of International Social Studies and 0.82 and 0.69 respectively for theDepartment of Psychology and Horticulture of the same faculty. This issue must beaddressed.