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

The Graduate School of Social Design

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Tokyo, Japan

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

Graduate School of Social Design

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results
for the Graduate School of Social Design

Overview
The Graduate School of Social Design defines its purpose as “imparting profoundacademic knowledge from a broad perspective, while researching and teaching tocultivate highly specialized professionals with problem-solving and value-creation skills
in an advanced information society,” based on the school corporation’s principle of“playing an important role in society through intellectual practical research and education.”
Under its principle and purpose, the School has established the School of Communication
Design and the School of Professional Education, and the two professional graduate
schools strive respectively to train communication professionals who can connect society,organizations, and people, and to develop human resources who can create totally newlearning together. The School also undertakes educational and research activities under
the present medium-term plan with objectives that include reviewing the organizational
structures of its graduate schools, affiliated research institutes, and other bodies,
improving its educational and research activities, and strengthening its management
structure and governance.
Regarding the School’s internal quality assurance, the School-Wide SelfAssessment Committee is positioned as a responsible promotion organization under theInternal Quality Assurance Policy and the Self-Assessment Committee Regulations. In
the inspection and assessment process, the Divisional Self-Assessment Committee
formed in each graduate school carries out inspections and assessments and reports theresults to the Collaboration Council for Educational Program. Based on the council’scomments, the committee prepares and submits the Self-Assessment Report to theSchool-Wide Self-Assessment Committee, which examines and evaluates the validity of
the report before presenting proposals and advice to each division. In response, theDivisional Self-Assessment Committee formulates and implements improvement plans,
and the School-Wide Self-Assessment Committee provides assistance in theimplementation to carry out a school-wide self-assessment. However, this internal quality
assurance promotion system is not yet fully operational as it was recently developed at
the end of AY2022, and whether the system is effectively operated as of AY2023 isuncertain. New policies and regulations have been clarified, but the Graduate School
Working Level Meeting and the Graduate School Liaison Meeting, which are neither

1Graduate School of Social Design

positioned in the internal quality assurance structure nor stipulated in regulations or otherrules, play an important role in internal quality assurance as they are involved in planning
strategies and making decisions. Moreover, the Divisional Self-Assessment Committee
is formed only in the graduate schools, and an affiliated research institute andadministrative organizations are not subject to inspections and assessments. The School
should clarify this situation and establish a school-wide internal quality assurance
structure with inspections and assessments covering all educational, research, and otheractivities conducted on campus.
As for education, the two graduate schools have established diploma andcurriculum policies, and designed their curricula with a focus on interactive, small-group
lessons. A variety of class formats, including discussions, case studies, and workshops,
are adopted to optimize the learning effects and maximize the learning outcomes, thereby
enhancing students’ practical skills. However, with the curricula dealing with practicaldomains rather than being based on existing academic fields, the graduate schools areexpected to remain focused on ensuring their curricula are appropriate and systematic.
The awarding of degrees requires a prescribed number of credits and academic work
equivalent to a master’s thesis. The Research Review Committee makes evaluations
based on a review rubric, but the connection with the student learning outcomes stated in
the diploma policy is inadequate. This issue should be addressed to monitor and measure
the learning outcomes. As mentioned above, the School’s internal quality assurance
system should clarify the roles of each meeting body based on actual conditions to assure
the quality of its education. The Graduate School Working Level Meeting is not stipulated
in the regulations, but plays an important role in planning strategies and making decisions
as to the School’s future. Regulations should be established and the School’s decisionmaking process clarified. Moreover, the School actively conducts public relations
activities to attract applicants based on the admission policy, but fails to fulfill thefreshman student enrollment quotas. Regarding the School’s faculty and facultyorganization, the criteria for promotion are stipulated in the internal regulations, but they
are not notified or announced to full-time faculty members. These issues should beaddressed. Furthermore, the School is expected to improve its educational and research
environment by upgrading its library, e-journals, and databases to provide better services
for graduate students taking courses entirely online.
In the coming years, the School should lay out its long-term vision and conduct
educational, research, and other activities in line with the medium-term plan under its
vision, as preparations are underway to establish a new graduate school. The School-Wide
Self-Assessment Committee, established following the School’s decision to undergo2Graduate School of Social Design

JUAA’s evaluation and accreditation for the first time, is expected to play a central rolein effectively operating the internal quality assurance system. Through these steps theSchool is expected to progress further by assuring the quality of its envisioned“intellectual practical research and education,” enhancing its distinctive features, andresolving various issues.
Suggestions for Improvement
Internal Quality Assurance An internal quality assurance system has been developed with the School-Wide SelfAssessment Committee positioned as a promotion body, but the Graduate School
Working Level Meeting and the Graduate School Liaison Meeting, bodies not
stipulated in policies and regulations, play an important role in discussing andimplementing effective improvement measures based on the inspection andassessment results. Moreover, the Divisional Self-Assessment Committee is formed
only in the graduate schools, and the appropriateness of the activities of the affiliatedresearch institute and administrative organizations is not subject to inspections andassessments. The School should address this situation by appropriately specifying
the institutes and organizations subject to inspections and assessments, and byclarifying the actual conditions of its meeting bodies to streamline and operate theinternal quality system effectively.
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes The School of Communication Design and the School of Professional Education use
a rubric to evaluate students’ academic work equivalent to a master’s thesis, but theconnection between the rubric and the student learning outcomes stated in theirdiploma policies is vague. This issue should be addressed with theses outcomesmonitored and evaluated in an appropriate, multifaceted way.
University Management
 The Graduate School Working Level Meeting, chaired by the general manager andcomprised of the deans of the graduate schools, heads of programs, staff members
and other officials, is positioned in the administrative system of the school3Graduate School of Social Design

corporation. Its members and items for examination and review are not stipulated in
the regulations, but the meeting body is involved in the strategic-planning anddecision-making processes, and discusses and decides on initiatives to beimplemented by the School. This situation should be addressed with rules andregulations established to clarify the School’s decision-making process.

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