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

Kinki University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Osaka, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2014
Accreditation Status: accredited（Accreditation Period: April.01.2015 – March.31.2022）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Kinki University
Overview
Kinki University (hereafter, the University) succeeded Osaka Technical College,established in 1925, and Osaka Science and Engineering University, established in 1943,
and was founded as a university in the new education system of 1949 with two faculties:
the Faculty of Science and Engineering and the Faculty of Commerce. Thereafter, theUniversity added faculties and graduate schools and has gone through reorganization.
Currently, the University has forty-eight departments in thirteen faculties: the Faculty ofLaw, the Faculty of Economics, the Faculty of Business Administration, the Faculty ofScience and Engineering, the Faculty of Architecture, the Faculty of Pharmacy, theFaculty of Literature, Arts and Cultural Studies, the Faculty of Applied Sociology, theFaculty of Agriculture, the Faculty of Medicine, the Faculty of Biology-OrientedScience and Technology, the Faculty of Engineering, and the Faculty of HumanityOriented Science and Engineering; and thirteen graduate schools, including professional
schools: the Graduate School of Law, the Graduate School of Commerce, the Graduate
School of Economics, the Graduate School of Science and Engineering Research, theGraduate School of Pharmacy, the Graduate School of Literature and Cultural Studies,
the Graduate School of Agriculture, the Graduate School of Medical Sciences, theGraduate School of Biology-Oriented Science and Technology, the Graduate School ofSystems Engineering, the Graduate School of Advanced Technology, the Graduate
School of Humanity-Oriented Science and Engineering, and the Law School. Campuses
are located in Higashiosaka City, Osaka Prefecture, where eight faculties are based;other campuses are the Osaka-Sayama Campus, the Nara Campus, the Wakayama
Campus, the Hiroshima Campus, and the Fukuoka Campus. The University engages ineducation and research activities according to its educational principles.
Prior to this accreditation review, the Law School had already undergone
professional graduate school accreditation review by the National Institute for
Academic Degrees and University Evaluation (NIAD-UE) in 2013 and was accredited.
Thus, Japan University Accreditation Association (JUAA) reviewed the School thistime by examining the improvements from 2013 onwards from the standpoint of
University Accreditation (institutional certified evaluation and accreditation).
After its accreditation review by JUAA in 2007, the University has taken
measures to create an attractive environment by making social contributions through a
program of industry-government-academy cooperation that focuses on practical scienceand promotes various research activities. Also, it has maintained a high number ofapplicants by carrying out various reforms to the admission system including innovativeand detailed public relations that are up-to-date, the dispatch of important University
information under the name “Kindai brand” (establishing Kinki University as a brand),and application of information technology and labor-saving technology to theadministration of entrance examinations. However, some departments and faculties
admitted more students than the admission quota, and some graduate schools failed tofulfill the quota. Also, in regards to the educational content and methods of the graduateschools, some shortcomings are found in the course-based graduate school system. The
examination criteria of dissertations and the process of awarding doctoral degree shouldbe improved.
Notable Strengths
Faculty and Faculty OrganizationIt is commendable that the University’s faculty self-evaluation system, and the3reflection of this evaluation in the bonuses awarded to faculty, as well as theintroduction of an individual research fund incentive system, have delivered
positive results. In particular, they have contributed not only to improvement in thequality of faculty, but also to a significant increase in the number of adoptions ofgrants-in-aid for scientific research by the national government as compared to thesituation before the introduction of the individual research fund incentive system.
The incentive system has also vitalized creative research activities, including a
project studying the complete aquaculture of bluefin tuna, and an international joint
research of bio-cokes, both of which had obtained the financial aid from externalorganizations and drawn world attention.
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome

The objective of general education, “establishing rich human relations and clear
identity by cultivating broad knowledge and deep insight,” has been promoted
across all the faculties and has formulated a broad range of curriculum
encompassing common general subjects groups such as humanity and sociality,rationality and internationality, agenda setting and problem solving, and sports andexpression. Also, in basic seminars for the first year, students are required to take acourse from the agenda-setting and problem-solving subject group, which helps
them acquire the basics for learning in the University. It is commendable that theUniversity as a whole engages in developing curriculum for implementing generaleducation. It is also commendable that this initiative (focusing on general education
for the University as a whole) has been implemented by the Twenty-first Century
Education Reform Committee and the Organization of Common Education for theEntire University, and that robust academic affair governance has been establishedin a large university with multiple faculties.

It is commendable that each faculty actively carries out faculty-development (FD)
activities. For example, in order to share notable teaching practices, classes in theFaculty of Law are video recorded and peer reviewed as training sessions toimprove teaching. Also, in the Faculty of Business Administration, classes are peer
reviewed by faculty members, and the results of the observers’ remarks areanalyzed in a report that provides feedback to improve teaching.

Enrollment
It is commendable that the University has made efforts to create an attractive
university and to disseminate its information as to promote a connection between
high schools and the University that serves as the basis of student application andadmission. In particular, By widely diffusing the “Kindai brand,” which has been
established through various research activities and social contributions involving
active public relations activities, the reputation of the University is enhanced not
only among potential applicants, but also nationwide. The University visits highschools, accurately grasps application trends, and promotes connections between
high schools and the University. Many students come to the Open Campus event
every year. At the same time, the University has implemented various reforms of
the admission system, including instituting online applications, and has maintained
a steady number of applicants.

Student Support


The English Village, known as E3 (E-Cube), on the Higashiosaka Campus offers
students an opportunity to explore their interest in English and improve their

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English-language skills by experiencing different cultures and talking with native
English speakers. Many students have used this facility since its opening. It iscommendable that the use of this facility actually led to improvement in students’English skills. Students who had been weak in English became motivated to learn
and significantly improved their English.
Social Cooperation and Contribution
With social-cooperation-oriented activities based in the Liaison Center, theUniversity has maintained high numbers of both patent applications and instances,which are the results of research cooperated with industry and public sector. And
the University has also maintained high numbers of funded research projects.
Among these, a project involving the aquaculture of bluefin tuna has drawn
significant public attention as a countermeasure to the depletion of naturalresources. It is commendable that the University has continued this research andpractical implementation for more than forty years, in fulfillment of the social
mission of preventing food shortages caused by the expected depletion of marineresources. This activity is a notable example of the University’s focus on practicalscience.

Suggestions for Improvement
Mission and Purpose
In the Law School, the purpose of personnel development or the other purpose ofeducation and research is not clearly stated in the regulations. This should beimproved.

Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome
While all Graduate Schools indicate policies on degree award particular to eachgraduate program, only the requirements for completion are designated in thecontent, and required learning outcomes are not clearly specified. This should beimproved.

In regards to the curriculum design policies in the Graduate School of Agriculture
and the Graduate School of Advanced Technology, the basic idea of theeducational content and method, as well as the profile of the environment and thecurriculum is not set forth. This should be improved.

Although the syllabi have been created following a common format, the contents
vary depending on the class. The contents are not systematically reviewed by eachfaculty and graduate school particularly the syllabi of non-full-time lecturers. A
system to review and improve the contents of syllabi should be developed.

Although University Regulations and Graduate School Regulations define the basisof credit calculation, the fact that one credit requires forty-five hours of study is not
written clearly. This should be improved.

In some graduate schools, including the Graduate School of Science andEngineering Research, the Graduate School of Pharmacy, the Graduate School ofLiterature and Cultural Studies, the Graduate School of Agriculture, the Graduate
School of Medical Sciences, and the Graduate School of Biology-Oriented Scienceand Technology, FD activities to improve educational content and methods that are5specific to each graduate school have not been conducted. This should be improved.
In the doctoral programs of each graduate school, some students complete all therequirements except the dissertation, and leave the university before completing thedissertation requirement within the time limit set by the university. Later, whenthese students submit their dissertations, even though they do not have theenrollment status, they are granted doctoral degree in the same manner as thosestudents continuously enrolled. This is an inappropriate use of the system thatshould be corrected. In accordance with the purpose of having doctoral programs,
the University should create measures to enhance the degree completion within therequired time frame.

In the Graduate School of Medical Sciences, the degree candidate’s researchsupervisor serves as the main examiner of that candidate’s dissertation. From theperspective of objectivity and fairness, this should be improved.

Enrollment
In the last five years, the average of the ratios of enrolled freshmen to the freshman
admission cap is high at 1.21 in the Department of Electronic Engineering andComputer Science in the Faculty of Engineering. Also, the ratio of transfer students
to the transfer student admission cap is low at 0.20 in the Department of Food
Science and Nutrition in the Faculty of Agriculture. In addition, the ratio of enrolled
students to the student enrollment cap is high at 1.27 in the Department ofLiterature in the Faculty of Literature, Arts and Cultural Studies, but low at 0.13 inthe doctoral program in the Graduate School of Law, at 0.27 in the doctoral
program in the Graduate School of Commerce, at 0.18 in the master’s program, at0.00 in the doctoral program in the Graduate School of Economics, at 0.13 in thedoctoral program in the Graduate School of Systems Engineering, at 0.25 in thedoctoral program in the Graduate School of Humanity-Oriented Technology, and at0.29 in the Law School. These should be improved.

Area of Serious Concern
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome
While the regulations in the doctoral program in the Graduate School ofAgriculture state that up to thirty credits taken in another graduate school before
admission to this program can be recognized and counted toward program
completion, the Graduate School must follow the law to set the appropriate numberof credits that can be recognized. It is urgent that this be corrected immediately.

Enrollment
In the last five years, the average of the ratios of enrolled freshmen to the freshman
admission cap and the ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap arehigh at 1.22 and 1.26, respectively, in the Department of Science in the Faculty ofEngineering; at 1.04 and 1.06, respectively, in the Department of Medicine in theFaculty of Medicine; and at 1.42 and 1.37, respectively, in the Department of
Biological and Environmental Chemistry in the Faculty of Human-Oriented Scienceand Engineering. Also, the average of the ratios of the last five years of enrolled
freshmen to the freshman admission cap is high at 1.32 in the Department ofInformation and Computer Science in the Faculty of Humanity-Oriented Scienceand Engineering, and at 1.21 in the entire Faculty of Humanity-Oriented Science6and Engineering. These numbers must be corrected. In regards to the enrollment
management of the University, in the last accreditation review JUAA pointed out
the problem with “serious concern” and asked for a report of improvement, but thesituation was not improved sufficiently. In this accreditation review process, JUAA
asked for a report again, but the Faculty of Medicine has not implemented proper
enrollment management yet. It is urgent that this be corrected immediately.