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

Aichi Shukutoku University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Aichi, Japan

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

Aichi Shukutoku University

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Aichi Shukutoku University

Overview
Aichi Shukutoku University has set forth the educational philosophy of “EmbracingDiversity” since becoming a coeducational institution in 1995, and accepts students
regardless of gender, nationality, age, generation, or disability. To this end, the University
defines the three themes of “Rooted in the region and open to the world,” “Useful tools
and constants, ” and “Sturdiness and tenderness.” Based on this principle, the University
proclaims its purpose as “fostering outstanding human resources who can contribute to
the development of society and culture by developing a healthy and noble character, anindomitable spirit, and generous sentiments with a quiet awareness of good deeds,
comprehensively pursuing academic studies and their creative use, and valuing all aspectsof truth, goodness, and beauty in a harmonious way.” The University formulated andpublished Aichi Shukutoku University Vision 2020 (AS VISION 2020) in AY2020 afterupgrading its 2015 vision laid out under the Medium-Term Goals and University-Wide
Medium-Term Plan for the five years from 2015.
Regarding the University’s internal quality assurance, the FD and Self-Study
Expert Committee and the FD and Self-Study Committee, organized under the University
Management Committee, decide on the annual schedule for the university-wide self-study,and make internal quality assurance efforts at the division level. Regulations on internalquality assurance are in place with procedures in operation. However, each division is left
to draw up its own annual plan for self-study activities, resulting in a lack of consistency
with the medium-term and other plans. Feedback to each division from the FD and SelfStudy Expert Committee has also become a formality. With reviews underway to upgrade
the internal quality assurance structure, the University should do more to address
unfinished improvement efforts and other issues. The University should also make thestructure more objective and open by inviting external experts to participate in its internal
quality assurance system.
As for education, the University has formulated three diploma, curriculum, andadmission policies, and designed the curricula for all faculties, departments, and graduate
schools to achieve its mission and purpose. Among the distinctive initiatives to enhance
student learning activities are the Multiple Major System that awards certificates ofcompletion to undergraduate students who have earned the required credits by1

Aichi Shukutoku University

systematically studying different subjects in other departments while following the course
curricula in their own departments, and the Hoshigaoka Campus Model system thatenables students to pursue further studies in specialized domains beyond the faculties on
the Hoshigaoka Campus. In terms of extracurricular activities, the Institute for Genderand Women’s Studies provides a place for research activities related to gender awarenessissues raised by students, and has the specific achievement of designing gender-neutral
school uniforms based on local junior and senior high school surveys. The Community
Collaboration Center helps match students with volunteer opportunities and has student
staff serving as advisors. In addition, the Challenge Fund was established to offer grants
for outstanding activities proposed by students. It is highly commendable that faculty andstaff members work together to actively support student activities and create anenvironment for fostering student independence.
There are several areas of improvement the University needs to address,
however. Some graduate schools do not provide student learning outcomes appropriate
for their degrees in the diploma policies and fail to provide specific descriptions in theircurriculum policies. Some departments have no upper limit or higher limit on the numberof credits to be registered for, and students taking subjects related to qualifications or highachievers are allowed to register for credits exceeding the maximum, resulting in aconsiderable number of undergraduate students overstepping their credit limits. Thissituation indicates that the University’s credit system is not functioning effectively or hasother problems. Moreover, some graduate schools adopt identical screening criteria fordissertations and research outcomes on specific themes, and the University as a wholeinadequately monitors and evaluates the learning outcomes stated in the diploma policies .
Several graduate schools do not fulfill their student enrollment quotas. These issues
should be addressed.
The latest issues include items pointed out in JUAA’s previous certified
evaluation and accreditation results. In the years ahead, the University is expected to makesteady progress in addressing these items under the management of the organizations
responsible for promoting internal quality assurance, and to progress further by enhancing
its distinctive initiatives.

Notable Strengths
Student Support2Aichi Shukutoku University The Institute for Gender and Women’s Studies has established the Stereo Remove(Remove Stereotypes) Section as an administrative organization for students toengage in self-directed research on gender. As part of its activities, the section
conducts surveys of junior and senior high schools in Aichi Prefecture regarding
gender awareness, and designs and produces gender-neutral school uniforms basedon the survey results. The Community Collaboration Center helps match students
with volunteer opportunities, while promoting collaborative learning among students
with student staff serving as advisors, and has established the Challenge Fund to offer
grants for students’ self-directed activities. It is commendable that this variety ofstudent support fosters student independence.
Suggestions for Improvement
Internal Quality Assurance
 Each division formulates an annual plan and inspects and assesses the achievement
status every year, but the divisions are left to determine the contents of the plan andthe evaluation indicators and criteria of the inspections and assessments. In addition,
the internal quality assurance promotion organizations are supposed to issue
instructions for improvement based on the results, but the organizations do notinspect and assess all educational and research activities across the university, oradequately discuss future directions and plans for improvement and enhancement.
The University should do more to make improvements based on the inspection andassessment results by reviewing the methods and supporting the operation of theorganizations responsible for promoting internal quality assurance.
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes The Doctoral Course in the Department of Business, Graduate School of Business,does not provide in the diploma policy the learning outcomes appropriate for its
degree, including the knowledge, skills, and abilities students are expected to acquire.
This issue should be addressed.
 In terms of curriculum policy, curriculum design and implementation are notspecified in the Doctoral Course in the Department of Psychology and MedicalSciences, Graduate School of Psychology and Medical Sciences; curriculum design
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is not clearly stated in the Doctoral Course in the Department of Business, Graduate
School of Business; and the basic concept of curriculum implementation is notdefined in the Department of Business, Faculty of Business, the Department ofGlobal Communication, Faculty of Global Communication, and the Doctoral Coursein the Department of Global Culture and Communication, Graduate School of GlobalCulture and Communication. These issues should be addressed.
 The University specifies the maximum number of credits students can register for ina year, but students are allowed to register for credits exceeding the upper limit when
taking subjects related to the teaching profession and other qualifications or whenrecognized as high achievers. These exceptions apply to a considerable number ofstudents. Moreover, the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences does not specify athreshold or sets a higher limit for students in certain years, indicating the ineffectivefunctioning of the faculty’s credit cap. The syllabuses provide students withinstructions for class preparation and review to secure study hours, but this measure
is insufficient to ensure credit validity. This issue should be addressed in light of the
purpose of the credit system.
 The Master’s Course in the Department of Business, Graduate School of Business,adopts identical screening criteria for dissertations and research outcomes on specificthemes. This issue should be addressed.
 The faculties measure student learning outcomes based on surveys at the time ofgraduation, and the graduate schools’ measurements are carried out through thescreening of dissertations and other means, but these methods inadequately monitor
and evaluate the learning outcomes stated in the diploma policies. This issue should
be addressed to appropriately monitor and evaluate the learning outcomes indicatedin the university-wide diploma policy based on the assessment policy the University
plans to introduce in the future.
Student Enrollment
 The ratios of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap are low at 0.18 in theMaster’s Course in the Department of Creativity and Culture, Graduate School of
Creativity and Culture, 0.05 in the Master’s Course in the Graduate School ofEducation, 0.27 in the Master’s Course in the Department of Psychology and Medical4

Aichi Shukutoku UniversitySciences, Graduate School of Psychology and Medical Sciences, 0.22 in the Doctoral
Course in the Department of Psychology and Medical Sciences, Graduate School ofPsychology and Medical Sciences, 0.04 in the Master’s Course in the Department of
Global Culture and Communication, Graduate School of Global Culture andCommunication, 0.00 in the Doctoral Course in the Department of Global Culture
and Communication, Graduate School of Global Culture and Communication, 0.08
in the Master’s Course in the Department of Business, Graduate School of Business,
and 0.13 in the Doctoral Course in the Department of Business, Graduate School ofBusiness. These ratios should be improved with the graduate schools’ student quotas
thoroughly managed.

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