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

University of Shizuoka

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: PublicLocation: Shizuoka, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2023
Accreditation Status: accredited （Accreditation Period: April 1, 2024 – March 31, 2031）

University of Shizuoka

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results
for the University of Shizuoka

Overview
The University of Shizuoka defines its purpose as “cultivating talented human resources
who can respond to the needs of the times and the local community by imparting a broadrange of knowledge as an academic center, teaching and researching specialized arts andsciences in depth, and developing intellectual, moral, and applied abilities, while
returning superior educational and research outcomes to the community as an open
university, thereby actively contributing to the advancement of culture and thedevelopment of society.” To achieve this purpose the University sets forth five principles,including “To be open to citizens as it collaborates with local communities,” and pursues
its objectives in education, research, regional contribution, and international exchange.
Shizuoka Prefecture, which established the University, has laid out the Third Shizuoka
Prefectural University Corporation Medium-Term Goals (hereafter “Third Medium-TermGoals”) for the six-year period from AY2019 to AY2024 to present the management goals
to be achieved as a university corporation. To attain the medium-term goals, theUniversity has formulated the Third Shizuoka Prefectural University Corporation
Medium-Term Plan (hereafter “Third Medium-Term Plan”) to manage the school. For
example, to achieve the goal of contributing to the local community, the University hasoutlined specific measures for “cooperating with the local community and other groups,”“returning educational and research resources to the community,” “encouraging student
participation in the local community,” and “developing a system for promoting regionalcontribution.”
Regarding internal quality assurance, following JUAA’s previous certified
evaluation and accreditation results, the University established the University of Shizuoka
Internal Quality Assurance Regulations (hereafter “Internal Quality AssuranceRegulations”) in AY2021, and developed an internal quality assurance structure with theUniversity of Shizuoka Quality Assurance Committee (hereafter “University QualityAssurance Committee”) positioned as a promotion organization tasked with conducting
inspections and assessments based on ten items stipulated in JUAA’s University
Standards. Progress management of the Third Medium-Term Plan and annual plan is led
by the Shizuoka Prefectural University Corporation Medium-Term and Annual Plan
Promotion Committee (hereafter “Medium-Term and Annual Plan Promotion1University of ShizuokaCommittee”). With regard to the overlapping items in the University Standards and theimplementation status of the medium-term and annual plans, the Internal Quality
Assurance Regulations states that a performance report on the medium-term or annualplan can be used for internal quality assurance.
As for education, the University conducts active learning activities to learn
from the community and return the outcomes. For example, the School of Managementand Informatics provides lessons in which students participate in various activities incooperation with the local community, such as developing products through regional
Industry-Government-University collaboration, operating student consulting projects for
local businesses, stores, and agriculture firms, promoting regional revitalization withcooperation between local residents and students, and developing tourism resources incollaboration with the community.
As mentioned above, the University engages in initiatives to return its
educational and research outcomes to society in line with its principles and the Third
Medium-Term Plan. Notably, the Fuji-no-Kuni Innovation Promotion Organization is
involved in developing and marketing Shizuoka Prefecture’s locally produced functional
foods, and the Tourism Research Center offers courses aimed at revitalizing local tourism.
These are highly commendable initiatives expected to cultivate specialists who can play
an active role for the benefits of the local community. Other activities include producingand promoting a picture book in multiple languages about the legend of “hagoromo(celestial maiden’s robe)” rooted in the prefecture, and organizing the student-led“Tabemono Cafe: Food Support for Students in Need” program that provided food tostudents financially stressed during the coronavirus pandemic. These activities
voluntarily initiated by students, faculty, and staff members are among the University’s
distinctive features.
There are several areas of improvement the University should address, however.
In terms of internal quality assurance, improvement efforts based on the inspection andassessment results are left to each division, and the University Quality AssuranceCommittee insufficiently supports university-wide systematic improvements. The
coordination between the University Quality Assurance Committee and the MediumTerm and Annual Plan Promotion Committee is also unclear. These issues should beaddressed. As for student enrollment, some departments have excessive quota fulfillment
in their student enrollment cap, and this situation must be corrected with theundergraduate schools’ student quotas thoroughly managed. In terms of faculty andfaculty organization, some graduate schools do not conduct their own faculty
development (FD) activities for educational improvements, activities that should be2

University of Shizuoka

implemented appropriately. In addition, some graduate schools have identical screening
criteria for dissertations in their program, and research guidance plans are not defined incertain graduate schools and programs. Efforts should be made to address theseinadequacies. Moreover, some undergraduate and graduate schools lack adequate
descriptions of their curriculum policies, and fail to connect the monitoring of student
learning outcomes to their diploma policies. These issues should be addressed.
In the years ahead, the University is expected to address the above issues bydeveloping and operating the university-wide PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle while
respecting the autonomy of each division. The University is also expected to review theoutcomes of its distinctive initiatives led by students, faculty, and staff members as
mentioned earlier, and provide appropriate support, thereby progressing further as apublic university rooted in the community.

Notable Strengths
Social Cooperation and Contribution
The Third Medium-Term Plan sets forth the key target of “fostering human resources
with practical knowledge, creativity, and communication skills through integrating
the different fields of life sciences, the humanities, and social sciences.” To this end,
the Fuji-no-Kuni Innovation Promotion Organization is involved in creating andproviding databases and platforms aimed at developing and marketing functional
foods using Shizuoka Prefecture’s specialties as well as promoting residents’ healththrough food. Moreover, the Tourism Research Center, newly established torevitalize tourism in the prefecture, plays a central role in supporting courses
targeting businesses and regional revitalization projects based on tourism. It is highly
commendable that the University utilizes the expertise of the undergraduate andgraduate schools and faculty members to conduct regional contribution activities andhelp cultivate human resources who can play an active role for the benefits of thecommunity.

Suggestions for Improvement
Internal Quality Assurance3University of Shizuoka

 A new internal quality assurance system was developed in AY2021 with theUniversity Quality Assurance Committee positioned as a promotion organization.
However, improvements based on the inspection and assessment results are left toundergraduate, graduate, and other divisions, and no methods are in place for thecommittee to provide support for these efforts. Moreover, the new system is vaguelyconnected to the improvement cycle led by the Medium-Term and Annual Plan
Promotion Committee tasked with the University’s medium-term and annual plans,
as was pointed out in JUAA’s previous certified evaluation and accreditation results.
More should be done to examine appropriate ways to operate the internal quality
assurance system, clarify the university-wide PDCA cycle, and enhance theUniversity’s education and research.
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes The basic concept of curriculum implementation is not specified in the curriculum
policies of the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences; Master’s Program in the Graduate
Program in Pharmaceutical Sciences, Graduate School of Integrated Pharmaceuticaland Nutritional Sciences; Doctoral Program in the Graduate Program in
Pharmaceutical and Nutritional Sciences, Graduate School of Integrated
Pharmaceutical and Nutritional Sciences; Master’s Program and Doctoral Programin the Graduate Program in Food and Nutritional Sciences, Graduate School ofIntegrated Pharmaceutical and Nutritional Sciences; Master’s Program and Doctoral
Program in the Graduate Program in Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate
School of Integrated Pharmaceutical and Nutritional Sciences; and Master’s Programand Doctoral Program in the Graduate School of Nursing. This issue should beaddressed.
 The Graduate School of Management, Informatics and Innovation has established thescreening criteria for dissertations in each program, but the contents are identical.
This issue should be addressed.
Student learning outcomes are measured based on a rubric in the School of Food andNutritional Sciences and the School of Management and Informatics, oralpresentation evaluations and exercise grading tables in the Graduate School ofIntegrated Pharmaceutical and Nutritional Sciences, and the monitoring andevaluations of credits, final exam grades, and other items in the Graduate School of4

University of Shizuoka

Management, Informatics and Innovation. However, the connection of these methods
to the diploma policies is unclear. This issue should be addressed.
Faculty and Faculty Organization
 The Graduate School of Integrated Pharmaceutical and Nutritional Sciences and theGraduate School of Management, Informatics and Innovation do not conduct theirown FD activities for educational improvements. These activities should beappropriately implemented.
RecommendationEducational Program and Learning Outcomes Research guidance methods and schedules as research guidance plans are notspecified in the Master’s Program and Doctoral Program in the Graduate Program inFood and Nutritional Sciences, Graduate School of Integrated Pharmaceutical andNutritional Sciences, and the Master’s Program and Doctoral Program in theGraduate Program in Environmental Health Sciences, Graduate School of Integrated
Pharmaceutical and Nutritional Sciences. This issue must be corrected with these
items specified and clarified to students beforehand.
Student Enrollment
 The ratio of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap is high at 1.30 in theDepartment of International Relations, School of International Relations. This ratio
must be lowered with the school’s student quotas thoroughly managed.

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