The international accreditation context.

When we were seeking a means to accredit Gaia U programs we looked primarily at the systems operating in the UK, Australia, and the USA.

Our research showed that each of these countries uses a similar, more or less consistent, nomenclature for higher education levels consisting of Bachelor, Masters and Doctoral degrees and each government empowers private accreditation agencies to 'do' the processes of accreditation rather than having, say, an accreditation office in the respective Departments of Education.

All three of these systems are country based systems arising from an earlier historical time when national identity, for purposes of inclusion and exclusion, was the norm. Thus degrees obtained in each country are guaranteed good currency only within the country of origin unless there are specific, negotiated, reciprocal agreements otherwise. Further, graduates coming into those countries who are not from the Anglo/USAnian/Australian group may get a mixed reception when they try to use degrees from their home countries.

Recently all member states of the EU have signed up to the Bologna Accord which intends to create a consistent pan European accreditation system by 2010, modelled on the so-called Anglo-American system described above. This will be one of the first higher education accreditation systems that is designed to be international in character although it will be 'international' only for the countries within the EU and whether the harmonisation is complete by 2010 is yet to be seen.

A second feature we were looking for was an accreditation agency that clearly recognises the value of distributed, project and work based action learning. Not all accreditation agencies do. Most are oriented strongly towards more conventional, academic, campus and content based learning separated from daily life.

Both these factors, the true international character of an accreditation system and the support of project and work based action learning are important to Gaia U and to our Associates.

In the first place the problems of regeneration for ecology and for social justice are systemic world problems not country or block problems and the learning approach must include learning how to act constructively within the full complexities of human societies.

The IMCA Socrates^TM system is the only system that can access accreditation for higher degrees that meets both these criteria being a) truly international and b) designed for project and work based action learning. It is the clear choice for Gaia U.

Gaia University will continue to monitor developments in the international accreditation context and, from time to time, review appropriate policy decisions accordingly.

IMCA Socrates^TM.

The Gaia University system is designed to be fully compliant with the IMCA Socrates system, the world's foremost quality assurance system for business and professional, work-place action learning.

The International Management Centres Association (IMCA) is a professional association established in 1964 and a corporation noble granted the right to arms in the UK by the sovereign in 1985. IMCA’s work is supported by a distinguished Court of Honorary Members and action learning projects with more than 60 corporations around the globe. The College of Arms states that corporation nobles must be 'well established, of sound financial standing, and be a leading or respected body in its field."

IMCA, through its wholly owned Revans University, is authorized by the Education Reform Act of 1988 and its amendments to grant degrees in the UK.

For full details of the IMCA Socrates system please follow the link below.

Protocol summary.

Gaia University program delivery and the learning designs for our programs will thus be quality assured through the protocols specified by the IMCA Socrates dynamic quality assurance (DQA) system. These require us to make quarterly quality assurance returns, re-apply for our licence each year after a quality review and to have all our key tutors and advisors meet appropriate competence and qualification standards specified by IMCA Socrates.

Each program is specified as a Learning Design which is then reviewed by the IMCA Socrates team and registered with them before we offer it to Associates.

External verfication.

In the Capstone year of MSc and BSc degree programs, Gaia University Associate Outputs are externally reviewed by independent reviewers as a final stage in the IMCA Socrates Quality Assurance system.

Our External Reviewers are carefully selected people with high academic and professional standing with strong higher educational review experience and who understand the nature of action learning.

This independent, external review procedure, required by IMCA, along with an annual, independent whole-system inspection, is an essential element in ensuring the high standards inherent in the IMCA Socrates Quality Assurance system.

Learn more at the IMCA Socrates website

Gaia University is an official contribution to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development-- UN DESD and has an illustrious International Advisory Board headed by Prof. Declan Kennedy.