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

Jissen Women's University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokyo, Japan

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

Jissen Women’s University

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results
for Jissen Women's University
Overview
Jissen Women’s University holds “when women change society, they change the world”
as its founding principle and the “fostering self-confident women who can be independentand self-directing” as its educational mission. The purpose of the University is “to teachand research highly specialized arts and sciences in accordance with the Basic Act onEducation, the School Education Act, and the founding spirit of Jissen Women’sUniversity, and to develop individuals who, by cultivating a wide-ranging and deep
cultural outlook aimed at developing character and putting their beliefs into practice froman international perspective, will contribute to the creation of culture and the welfare ofhumanity.” The University has drawn up a “Grand Design” and “Medium-term Plan” tofulfil this purpose, and is working to enhance its educational and research activities.
In terms of internal quality assurance, the “Check and Review Committee” ofeach faculty (including courses and research institutes) and graduate school, which
together make up the “Departments Council”, conducts checks and reviews of individualfaculties and graduate schools, etc. The results are collated by the “University Check andReview Committee” and reported to the “University Council”, which provides feedbackand support for improvements based on the results of the checks and reviews and advice
from the “External Assessment and Advisory Committee”. We hope to see initiatives for
improvement in the future.
With respect to education, each faculty and graduate school generally organizes
its curriculum appropriately in accordance with its degree award policy (diploma policy)
and curriculum design and implementation policy (curriculum policy). The overall
structure of the curriculum and the relationships between subjects are shown throughcurriculum maps, curriculum trees, numbering, etc., allowing students to take courses ina systematic and sequential manner. Various centers have also been established to support
student learning.
One outstanding point is that with the introduction of J-TAS (Jissen Total
Advanced Support), an enrolment management system that records and supports thedevelopment of students’ regular and extra-curricular activities from enrollment tograduation, the University is building and operating a framework that contributes tostudent growth and enhancement of its educational programs. Alongside promoting theuse of J-TAS, the University is working to improve the operation of the system by1

Jissen Women’s University

enhancing its “one-stop service,” building a detailed student support system incooperation with the “Liaison Council for Comprehensive Student Support” and the“Comprehensive Student Support Center”.
The University Library and the “Shimoda Utako Digital Archive” possess many
outstanding collections as a result of efforts to collect books, journals, and other materials,
in accordance with the educational mission of the school’s founder. Efforts to open theUniversity library and other collections to the public have provided a wide range ofopportunities for education and research. This is to be highly commended for its expected
production of broader research outcomes beyond the University.
However, there are several issues that should be addressed. First of all, althoughlearning outcomes are measured using learning rubrics, a variety of questionnaires, andassessment of graduation theses, it is difficult to say that the learning outcomes specified
in the degree award policies of each faculty, department, graduate school and program
have been monitored and assessed in a diversified and appropriate manner. Other issues
in need of improvement include deficiencies in the curriculum design and implementation
policies of some graduate schools, low ratios of student enrollment relative to the student
enrollment caps in some graduate schools, and insufficient graduate school-specific FD
activities relating to educational improvement.
Going forward, we hope the University resolves these issues by means of internal
quality assurance efforts and further develops its many distinctive initiatives so that theoutcomes of students’ learning will be even better known both inside and outside theUniversity.
Notable Strengths
Student Support
 The student support system J-TAS, which launched in AY 2018, consists of sevenelements: a “Growth Diagnosis Test,” “Learning Rubric,” ”Personal Growth Record,”“Classes,” “Extracurricular Activities,” “Faculty, Student Support Center Staff,Career Advisors,” and “Individual Support.” These elements form the basis forproviding a wide variety of student support services. For example, the Personal
Growth Record allows students to record and visualize their own development, which
career advisors and the teachers in charge of classes can use as a reference forproviding support in class, extracurricular activities, and other aspects of student life.
In addition to the above, the University is planning and implementing various events2

Jissen Women’s Universityand initiatives and enhancing content to provide optimal support for individual
students’ growth. These include the “Course Reflection Week,” during which
students can use J-TAS to reflect on their studies and examine their academic plans,
and the launch of “My Community” which is used for purposes such as cluborganizations welcoming new students. A clear basic policy has been set out for JTAS, and this forms the basis for the system’s design and operation. In addition,
designated departments and committees check the work performed in dealing withstudents and other areas, working to make improvements and develop the system.
This demonstrates that the student support provided through J-TAS is a sophisticatedinitiative that should be commended.
Education and Research Environment
 The University Library possesses many outstanding collections as a result of efforts
to collect books, journals, and other materials, in accordance with the educational
mission of the school’s founder. Of particular note is the establishment of Shimoda
Utako Digital Archive, a database of digitized materials about the founder Utako
Shimoda, and its opening to public access. In addition, Oscar Wilde’s scrapbook ofnewspaper and magazine clippings, and the materials of Kuniko Mukoda, an alumnaof the University, have been digitized and made available to the public as a database.
The University’s activities contributing to the promotion of art, culture, andeducation are also noteworthy. These include holding regular exhibitions of materials
and paintings at the Kosetsu Memorial Museum, a museum-equivalent facility thathouses books, paintings, poems, and books related to Utako Shimoda. These efforts
to open the University library and other collections to the public have provided awide range of opportunities for education and research. This is to be commended forits expected production of broader research outcomes beyond the University.
Suggestions for Improvement
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes The Graduate School of Humanities’ Master's Program of Japanese Literature,
Doctoral Program of Japanese Literature, Master’s Program of English, Master’s
Program of Art History, Doctoral Program of Art History, and the Graduate Schoolof Human Life Sciences’ Master’s Program of Human Environmental Science and3

Jissen Women’s University

Graduate School of Humanities and Social Sciences’ Master's Program ofHumanities and Social Sciences do not indicate their basic approach to curriculum
implementation in their curriculum design and implementation policies.
 Although learning outcomes are measured by means of learning rubrics, a variety ofquestionnaires, and assessment of graduation theses, it is difficult to say that thelearning outcomes specified in the degree award policies of each faculty, department,
graduate school and program have been monitored and assessed in a diversified andappropriate manner. Improvements are required accordingly.
Student Enrollment
 In AY 2020, the average ratios of freshman enrollment to the freshman enrollment
cap over the previous five years was 1.25 for the Faculty of Humanities and Social
Sciences. This is high, and should be improved.
 The ratios of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap are respectively 0.30
and 0.13 for the Master’s and Doctoral Programs of the Graduate School of
Humanities, 0.21 for the Graduate School of Human Life Sciences, and there are nostudents in the Master’s Program of the Graduate School of Humanities and Social
Sciences. These figures are low, so improvements should be made to ensure thoroughstudent quota management at the graduate school level.
Faculty and Faculty Organization
 The graduate school-specific FD relating to educational improvement is inadequate,
so improvements are needed to ensure that this is implemented appropriately, either
for the master’s and doctoral programs as a whole or for each graduate school
individually.

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