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

Gifu Shotoku Gakuen University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Gifu, Japan

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

Gifu Shotoku Gakuen University

Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Results
for Gifu Shotoku Gakuen University

Overview
Gifu Shotoku Gakuen University, founded on the Mahayana Buddhist spirit of “equality,”“tolerance,” and “altruism,” sets out the mission of “fully developing an individual’scharacter by fostering rich humanity and solid ethics,” thereby “cultivating individuals
with high ambitions, independence, social skills, and creativity, who will pave the way
for a future society using their adaptability to rapidly changing times and play their roleas next-generation leaders with intellectual and moral virtues and a creative global
mindset.” To achieve its founding spirit and purpose, the 60th Gifu Shotoku Gakuen
Grand Future Design (hereafter “Grand Design”) was formulated in 2018, specifying thethree pillars of “establishing a new Shotoku brand,” “fostering creative individuals(individuals of high integrity with high principles),” and “global and career education
based on religious education.”
Regarding the University’s education, the university-wide diploma policy
outlines six items of “basic education,” “specialized knowledge,” “understanding
others,” “contribution to community and society,” “self-formation and selfdevelopment,” and “attitude,” and the faculties clarify the diploma policies for their
specialized departments based on these items. The curricula are systematically designed
based on the curriculum policy, and curriculum maps illustrate the connection between
the diploma policy and each subject, with syllabuses clearly stating the goals and abilities
to be acquired so that students can monitor their learning outcomes. Student learning
outcomes are also measured using external assessment tests and other methods based oneach faculty’s area of specialization. As distinctive educational approaches, the University
has designed curricula over a long period of time with a focus on practical education incooperation with the local community, and offers many practical learning opportunities
for qualifications and other job-related abilities. For example, the Faculty of Education
has introduced Crystal Plan as a community-based, hands-on teacher training project todevelop students’ practical leadership skills. The faculty cooperates with local boards ofeducation and schools with the aim of training and producing teachers who candemonstrate these skills. In recent years, the University has actively expanded the areasof regional cooperation, and adopted numerous approaches, such as upgrading
Comprehending Childhood to Comprehending Childhood Activities as programs open to1

Gifu Shotoku Gakuen University

all students, incorporating volunteer activities, internships, and other projects involving
children. With many students enrolling in the University to participate in this program,the teacher training project is a highly commendable initiative that responds to social andcommunity needs.
To enhance the quality of these educational activities, the internal quality
assurance system is operated with the Self-Inspection and Evaluation Committee set up
in each faculty and graduate school to periodically conduct inspections and assessments.
The results are compiled by the University-Wide Self-Inspection and Evaluation
Committee and reported to the Teaching and Learning Management Meeting. However,the University-Wide Self-Inspection and Evaluation Committee and the Teaching andLearning Management Meeting overlap in making improvements based on theinspections and assessments, indicating unclear roles of the two meeting bodies in internal
quality assurance. In addition, there is confusion between the improvement items handled
by the president-chaired Teaching and Learning Management Meeting based on its
decision and the items involving the University-Wide Self-Inspection and Evaluation
Committee. The University should address these issues by clarifying the structure that
promotes university-wide internal quality assurance and streamlining the internal quality
assurance system to improve and enhance its education based on the inspection andassessment results.
There are other areas of improvement the University should address. The
maximum number of credits students can register for in a year is specified to ensure credit
validity, but excludes subjects related to practical training and other areas. The Faculty ofEducation has introduced its own practical leadership training program, resulting in atendency for many second-year students to register for credits exceeding the cap as someaim to obtain multiple licenses. Discussions are underway to address this issue pointed
out in JUAA’s previous certified evaluation and accreditation results, and the University
is expected to make steady progress. The connection between the student learning
outcomes stated in the diploma policy and the measurement methods is vague in thegraduate schools’ master’s and doctoral courses. This issue should be addressed with theconnection clarified and the learning outcomes measured in an appropriate, multifacetedway. Moreover, some faculties and graduate schools have insufficient quota fulfillment
in student enrollment, and should improve the management of their student quotas.
The University plans to reorganize its faculties and educational programs
starting in 2025. It will be important to advance ongoing practical education initiatives,
including hands-on teaching sessions in cooperation with the local community, overseas
training, and practical education in AI technology, while assuring the quality of these2

Gifu Shotoku Gakuen University

activities. The University is therefore expected to streamline its internal quality assurance
structure to examine the functions of the internal quality assurance system, and to address
various issues with the university-wide PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle to ensure thatit operates effectively.

Notable Strengths
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes The Faculty of Education operates Crystal Plan, a unique hands-on teacher training
project, with the aim of training and producing teachers who can demonstrate
practical leaderships skills in increasingly diverse and complex educational settings.
In cooperation with boards of education, the faculty has secured various training sites,
including elementary and junior high schools, kindergartens, and special needs
schools, to offer education with a focus on students building up teaching experiencefrom their first year. With this program conducted over a long period of time, theUniversity has actively expanded the areas of regional cooperation and adopted
numerous approaches, such as upgrading Comprehending Childhood toComprehending Childhood Activities as programs open to all students, incorporating
volunteer activities, internships, and other projects related to children. With many
students enrolling in the University to participate in this program, the teacher training
project is a commendable initiative that responds to social and community needs.
Suggestions for Improvement
Internal Quality Assurance When making improvements based on the results of inspections and assessments, theUniversity-Wide Self-Inspection and Evaluation Committee is specified as theresponsible body for preparing Self-Inspection and Evaluation reports andformulating reform and improvement measures, and at the same time the Teachingand Learning Management Meeting is tasked with linking Self-Inspection andEvaluation to reforms and improvements. This situation indicates the overlapping
roles of the two meeting bodies in the internal quality assurance process, with eachtask obscure. In addition, while the president-chaired Teaching and Learning3

Gifu Shotoku Gakuen University

Management Meeting proceeds with improvement items based on its decision, theUniversity-Wide Self-Inspection and Evaluation Committee is also involved in these
items, which indicates an unclear structure for promoting university-wide internal
quality assurance. These issues should be addressed with the internal quality
assurance structure streamlined to improve and enhance the University’s educationbased on the inspection and assessment results.
Educational Program and Learning Outcomes The University specifies the maximum number of credits students can register for ina year, but the Faculty of Education excludes certain subjects related to qualifications,
resulting in a considerable number of students registering for credits that exceed thecap. In addition, there are no measures other than setting the upper limit to ensure
credit validity. With this issue pointed out in JUAA’s previous certified evaluation
and accreditation results, the University is expected to examine the appropriatenessof its initiatives and to make improvements in light of the purpose of the credit system.
 The connection between the student learning outcomes stated in the diploma policy
and the measurement methods are vague in the graduate schools’ master’s anddoctoral courses. This situation should be addressed with the connection clarified andthe learning outcomes appropriately measured.
Student Enrollment
 The ratios of freshman quota fulfillment over the past five years and student quota
fulfillment are low at 0.89 and 0.87, respectively, in the Faculty of Foreign Languages.
These ratios should be improved with the faculty’s student quotas thoroughlymanaged.
 The ratios of student enrollment to the student enrollment cap are low at 0.08 in theGraduate School of International Cultural Studies and 0.15 in the Graduate Schoolof Economics and Information (Master’s Course). No students are enrolled in theGraduate School of Economics and Information (Doctoral Course). These figures
should be improved with the graduate schools’ student quotas thoroughly managed.

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