Research Study on the Interim Verification of the Third Phase of Certified Evaluation and Accreditation The third phase of certified evaluation and accreditation by JIHEE is for seven years, from FY2018 to FY2024. As the third year ended in FY2020, a questionnaire survey and interview survey were conducted for universities and junior colleges that had undergone certified evaluation and accreditation during the first three years, as an interim verification of the evaluation system. The purpose is to use the data and findings obtained to examine improvements to the evaluation system for the fourth period.
Questionnaire Survey
The survey covered 74 universities and three junior colleges that had undergone institutional evaluation and accreditation by JIHEE during the three-year period from FY2018 to FY2020. The survey was conducted by requesting cooperation in the questionnaire via e-mail to the persons in charge of self-evaluation at the institutions and asking them to enter and send their answers to the questions using a web-based questionnaire system.
More than 90% of the respondents answered that certified evaluation and accreditation “greatly contributed” or “somewhat contributed” to the realization and promotion of “assurance of the quality of education,” “assurance of the quality of administration,” and “enhancement of awareness of reform and improvement within the university." The most common item addressed by the most recent certified evaluation and accreditation was "development of internal quality assurance system," for which the response rate was nearly 70%. On the other hand, less than 50% of the respondents answered that the most recent certified evaluation and accreditation “greatly contributed” or “somewhat contributed” to “understanding and support of the university from society," indicating that the certified evaluation and accreditation system is not fully recognized by society.
Interview Survey
To complement the questionnaire survey results and obtain more concrete examples, interviews were conducted with six universities selected from those responding to the questionnaire survey. Interviews were conducted with iternal quality assurance staff, self-inspection and evaluation staff and others for approximately two hours, via the Internet or by a campus visit.
Regarding internal quality assurance efforts, each of the six universities have well- functioning PDCA cycles and the respective responsible organizations. In addition, several universities confirmed that organizations responsible for the PDCA cycle have also been established by their corporate entities, and that they are functioning at both the university and the corporate entity. We received various opinions and requests from each university as a result of their sincere efforts in certified evaluation and accreditation, such as digitization of a vast amount of evidence related to certified evaluation and accreditation, continuation of online on-site inspections, continuous implementation of various training sessions on certified evaluation and accreditation, and clarification of the difference between “standards unique to each institution” and “remarks.” Members in charge of this research study Department of Research and Development Zhongmin LU Director (concurrently serving as Director, Department of Quality Assurance) Sumiko KOBAYASHI Chief Chika ITAGAKI Section Chief Yuki NAKAZATO Assistant Section Chief