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 ( ; ), or simply Vila (), is the capital of Vanuatu and its largest city. It is on the island of Efate, in Shefa Province.
The population was 49,034 as of the 2020 census. In 2020, the population of Port Vila formed 16.3% of the ...
,
Vanuatu
Vanuatu ( or ; ), officially the Republic of Vanuatu (; ), is an island country in Melanesia located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago, which is of volcanic origin, is east of northern Australia, northeast of New Caledonia, east o ...
,
though it has also been associated with
Boulder, Colorado
Boulder is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule city in Boulder County, Colorado, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 108,250 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the most ...
.
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 United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census. The town lies approximately west of ...
, 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 (c. 40) is legislation that introduced multiple changes to the education system in England and Wales, including the introduction of Key Stages and the National Curriculum. It replaced many rules and structures that h ...
;
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, pioneered by
Reg Revans.
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
*
Action learning
*
Unaccredited institutions of higher education
References
*
{{refend
Universities and colleges in Oceania
Unaccredited institutions of higher learning
Unrecognized accreditation associations