Self-inspection and Assessment (#7)
The University of Osaka performed its seventh self-inspection and assessment for AY2025 according to its Policies for Internal Quality Assurance in Education and Guidelines for Educational Assessment for Internal Quality Assurance in Education.
In this self-assessment and evaluation, covering AY2025, the current status was reviewed and self-evaluated at the levels of degree programs, schools/graduate schools, and the university as a whole, from the perspectives of the implementation of education based on educational policies and the achievement of students' learning outcomes. In addition, issues identified through the review process were examined, and future measures to address them were considered.
The self-assessment and evaluation results of each schools/graduate schools confirmed that diverse and high-quality educational initiatives, such as strengthening specialized education and student support systems, continued to be carried out as in prior years, with tangible achievements being steadily demonstrated.
For example, the implementation of education through a blended learning approach combining face-to-face and online instruction has become well established and has yielded positive results and demonstrable effectiveness. Regarding internationalization initiatives, efforts were recognized to explore interdisciplinary fields that integrate the humanities and sciences, as well as the potential for interdisciplinary education, prompted in part by programs aimed at developing digital talent. Additional initiatives included increasing the number of courses taught in English.
With respect to the enhancement of the educational and learning environment, further improvements were confirmed in student counseling and support systems. Other notable measures included the introduction of a credit cap (CAP) system and the resulting increase in student study time, the incorporation of internships into the curriculum as credit-bearing courses, student award programs, the adoption and utilization of multiple-mentor and tutoring systems, and support for applications to the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS) Research Fellowship for Young Scientists program.
As university-wide challenges, several issues were identified, including securing sufficient funding for the educational environment (including budgets for Teaching Assistants (TAs)); establishing university-wide policies and mechanisms regarding the use of generative AI in theses and other academic work; further improving response rates for various student surveys; conducting faculty development (FD) activities aimed at building a PDCA cycle that integrates admissions, education, and research from the perspective of educational quality assurance; promoting the attractiveness of graduate study and enhancing graduate admissions processes; formulating a university-wide strategy for recruiting international students; addressing the challenge of balancing graduate students’ job-hunting activities with their academic work; and implementing measures to ensure that efforts related to education, research, and university administration do not exhaust faculty members’ energy, including initiatives to reduce faculty workload.
Information on the notable initiatives, outcomes, and issues identified within each school/ graduate school was shared across all schools/graduate schools at the Curriculum Committee meeting held in October 2026.