Revans University, also known as The University of Action Learning (UAL), is the
unaccredited degree-awarding body for the UK-based International Management Centres Association (IMCA or IMC Association).
Revans University's registered address is in
Port Vila
Port Vila (french: Port-Vila), or simply Vila (; french: Vila; bi, Vila ), is the capital and largest city of Vanuatu. It is located on the island of Efate.
Its population in the last census (2009) was 44,040, an increase of 35% on the pr ...
,
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (french: link=no, République de Vanuatu; bi, Ripablik blong Vanuatu), is an island country located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of no ...
,
though it has also been associated with
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is a home rule city that is the county seat and most populous municipality of Boulder County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, making it the 12th most populous city in Color ...
.
It has no physical campus and all its activities take place online.
As of 2005, Revans University's partner organization IMCA was based in
Buckingham
Buckingham ( ) is a market town in north Buckinghamshire, England, close to the borders of Northamptonshire and Oxfordshire, which had a population of 12,890 at the 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of Central Milton Keynes, sou ...
, UK.
IMCA provides accreditation of the Action Learning program of Gaia University and possibly others. (See Accreditation below).
Foundation
According to Revans University and IMCA's jointly-issued literature from 2004, IMCA founded Revans University in 1999 after IMCA's own degree programmes were about to be made illegal by the
Education Reform Act 1988
The Education Reform Act 1988 is widely regarded as the most important single piece of education legislation in England and Wales since the 'Butler' Education Act 1944.
Provisions
The main provisions of the Education Reform Act are as follows:
...
;
IMCA made unsuccessful approaches to UK's
Council for National Academic Awards
The Council for National Academic Awards (CNAA) was the national degree-awarding authority in the United Kingdom from 1965 until its dissolution on 20 April 1993.
Background
The establishment followed the recommendation of the UK government Com ...
and several universities in the UK and Australia before deciding to found Revans University in the US under IMCA's own sponsorship.
Methods of study
Revans University and ICMA are proponents of
action learning
Action learning is an approach to problem solving. It involves taking action and reflecting upon the results. This helps improve the problem-solving process as well as simplify the solutions developed by the team. The theory of action learning an ...
, pioneered by
Reg Revans
Reginald William Revans (14 May 1907 – 8 January 2003) was an academic professor, administrator and management consultant who pioneered the use of Action learning. He was also a long jumper who represented Britain at the 1928 Summ ...
.
Rather than requiring a traditional thesis, Revans University and IMCA award doctoral degrees on the basis of an "explication" – a short, 10,000 word document describing a candidate's professional experience and original contributions to knowledge.
Accreditation
Prior to 2005, Revans University and IMCA were accredited by the US
Distance Education and Training Council (DETC), but this accreditation was removed by DETC in 2005.
Neither Revans University nor IMCA is recognised as a UK degree-awarding body or course provider.
As of 22 May 2021, neither Revans University nor IMCA have regained certification by DETC.
According to ''The Times Educational Supplement'', British universities are not accepting qualifications accredited by Revans University;
this has led to complaints from former students.
Gaia University states that its degree programmes are accredited through "International Management Centres(IMC) of the UK and New Zealand".
Gaia University States in it Living Mandala website: "IMC, through its wholly owned Revans University, is authorized by the Education Reform Act of 1988 and its amendments to grant degrees in the UK."
Notable alumni
*
Merilyn Tahi - women's rights activist
See also
*
Reg Revans
Reginald William Revans (14 May 1907 – 8 January 2003) was an academic professor, administrator and management consultant who pioneered the use of Action learning. He was also a long jumper who represented Britain at the 1928 Summ ...
*
Action learning
Action learning is an approach to problem solving. It involves taking action and reflecting upon the results. This helps improve the problem-solving process as well as simplify the solutions developed by the team. The theory of action learning an ...
*
Unaccredited institutions of higher education
Unaccredited institutions of higher education are colleges, trade schools, seminaries, and universities which do not have formal educational accreditation.
Educational institutions may not be legally required to obtain independent accreditation, d ...
References
*
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Universities and colleges in Oceania
Unaccredited institutions of higher learning
Unrecognized accreditation associations