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

Kansai University
Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Osaka, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2012
Accreditation Status: accredited (Accreditation Period: April 1, 2013 – March 31, 2020)

Related Links
Kansai University: http://www.kansai-u.ac.jp/English/
Full Text of the Accreditation Results (in Japanese):
http://www.juaa.or.jp/accreditation/university/result_2012.html
Accreditation Standards, Process and other related information (in English):http://www.juaa.or.jp/en/accreditation/university.html2

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Kansai University
Notable Strengths
Educational content, methods, and outcome

It is commendable that Kansai University’s faculty and students are enthusiastic in
their consideration of the appropriateness of the curriculum, which has enhanced
student motivation for active participation in their studies and campus life. For
example, the Course Recommendation Student Committee not only has provided
suggestions for courses, but also has established new courses such as “KansaiUniversity Brand Development through Vegetable Production” in a joint effort withfaculty.

It is commendable that the university has made a number of efforts to become moreinternational. For example, a new measure for internationalization was realized in
the 2010 Kansai University Global Initiatives (GI) plan, which is an extension of
the Global Kansai (GK) Plan of Vision for Internationalization, established in 2004.
As a result, the university as a whole increased its partnerships with universities
abroad from 18 to 50, established five study abroad programs, and started theInternational Cooperation Experience Seminar, a practical overseas experience
program. In addition, the Dual Degree Program with Webster University (USA)serves as a unique program for promoting internationalization.

It is commendable that the university has made efforts to promote instructional
methods reflective of research on various Good Practice (GP) programs. For
example, a project, entitled “Developing a Furusato (“Home”) by Settling in theRural Community,” was approved in 2007 as one of the Contemporary Educational
Needs Support Programs (Contemporary Good Practice [GP]). Another project,
entitled “Creating a Community-Graduate School Program Joint Project to Think
and Take Action,” was approved in 2008 as one of the Organizational Graduate
School Reform Promotion Projects. Through these projects, continuous researchhas been carried out with the establishment of new practicum courses inundergraduate and graduate programs. This demonstrates that the research has had
appropriate impact upon curriculum and instruction of the undergraduate andgraduate programs. Another project, “Progress in E-learning,” was approved in
2004 for the Contemporary Educational Needs Support Program (ContemporaryGood Practice [GP]), which led to the development of the Web-based CoordinatedEducation Activation System (CEAS). Faculty and students actively use this systemto tailor study to students’ needs. The university has made efforts to continue
research in this field after completing the GP program term, which has also beenechoed in its educational methods.

It is commendable that the Materials Science Course in the Department ofChemistry and Materials Engineering in the Faculty of Chemistry Materials andBioengineering, through a program authorized by the Japan Accreditation Board forEngineering Education (JABEE), has enabled each student to compile anAchievement Evaluation Card of Learning and Education Objectives based on acomprehensive evaluation rank system.

Education and research environment
It is commendable that the university has devised measures to continue to support

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research efforts and to enhance and maintain the faculty’s motivation for researchand education. For example, in terms of education and research support systems,
the university has stipulated regulations to provide research encouragement funds topromote research activities and encourage faculty to acquire external grants. The
university has also effectively conducted the Formation of Research Foundation
Projects, substantiated research facilities, and acquired external grants. Moreover,urgent fund support is provided if or when grants for programs (e.g., programsrelated to educational reforms) are decreased or terminated, which has led tocontinuous support of education and research. As a result, programs and projects,including the establishment of the Institute for Cultural Interaction Studies in East
Asia (a Global COE program), the Institute for Conservation and Restoration ofCultural Properties (ICP), and the Research Center for Social Trust andEmpowerment Process (STEP), have been formed, all of which prove theeffectiveness of the measures.
Internal quality assuranceIt is commendable that self-study and evaluation efforts have taken root throughout
the university with effective Plan-Do-Check-Act (PDCA) cycles in constantoperation. For example, in self-study and evaluation, the university has added“research activities” and “international exchange” as items to be evaluated,conducted self-studies on campus every other year, and conducted external
evaluation every 6 years. To form the PDCA cycles, the university has taken on
various initiatives, including: linking mid- to long-term action plans withself-studies; the Comprehensive Planning Office reinforcing internal quality
assurance activities; and implementing fair and objective evaluations by theExternal Evaluation Committee comprised of external scholars. The Internal Audit
Office inspects all sections every three years for compliance and accountability toimprove management and enhance work-related efficiency.

Suggestions for Improvement
Educational content, methods, and outcome

The maximum number of credits third-year transfer students can register for in theFaculty of Economics is high at 56. In the Faculty of Commerce, it is high at 50 for
fourth year students. This should be improved in accordance with the purpose of thecredit system.

With the exception of the professional graduate schools, none of the Graduate
Schools have clarified criteria for examining degree-seeking dissertations. The
criteria should be clearly stated in the Student Handbook (and other informationsources).

Enrollment
The ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap is high at 1.20 in theundergraduate programs in the Department of Chemistry and Materials Engineeringin the Faculty of Chemistry Materials and Bioengineering. It is also high at 3.22 in
the doctoral program of the Graduate School of Foreign Language Education. In
contrast, the ratio is low at 0.48 in the master’s program in the Graduate School ofEconomics, at 0.23 in the doctoral program in the Graduate School of Commerce,and 0.16 in the doctoral program of the Graduate School of Science andEngineering. These numbers should be improved.

4In the Faculty of Informatics, the ratio of transfer students to the transfer student
admission cap is low at 0.65. This number should be improved.

Education and research environment
The faculty offices in the three Faculties in the areas of science and engineering arealso used as labs for experiments. As these rooms are too small to serve bothpurposes. This should be improved.

The libraries of the Takatsuki, Takatsuki Muse, and Sakai campuses do not havefull-time qualified librarians. This should be improved.

Area of Serious ConcernEnrollment
In the last five years, in the Faculty of Engineering Science, the average of theratios of enrolled freshmen to the freshman admission cap is high at 1.20 in theDepartment of Pure and Applied Physics and 1.20 in the Department of Electricaland Electronic Engineering. The ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment
cap is high at 1.22 in the Faculty of Engineering Science as a whole. The ratio isalso high at 1.31 in the Department of Mathematics, 1.21 in the Department of Pureand Applied Physics, and 1.22 in the Department of Electrical and ElectronicEngineering. These numbers must be improved.