The project, led by Dr. Michael Ndemanu, Associate Professor of multicultural education, and supported by Dr. David J. Roof, Associate Professor of educational studies, will provide innovative in-person workshops for faculty members in Cameroon.
The endeavor will build on the work of Dr. Ndemanu and his creation of the Center of Transformative Education at the University of Ngaoundéré, a public institution located in the Adamawa Region. A secondary aspect of the project is promoting and improving mutual understanding and people-to-people ties between the U.S. and Cameroon.
“It is an honor and privilege to receive this grant,” said Dr. Ndemanu, a Fulbright Scholar awardee in 2021 and 2022. “The program will go a long way to support our ongoing efforts in the professional development of modern pedagogies at the University of Ngaoundéré.”
In December, Dr. Ndemanu and Dr. Roof will travel to Cameroon to deliver a series of workshops with follow-up implementation activities. The vision for this project is positioning higher education as the lynchpin for sustainable socio-economic development in Cameroon and beyond. The project is focused on teaching and learning, learner-centered education, place-based learning, experiential learning, deeper learning, service learning, and civic engagement.
“While the transmissive mode of instruction in higher education has come under heavy criticism for its ineffectiveness for decades, it is still the modus operandi in many universities in developing countries,” Dr. Ndemanu said. “Although it is effective in basic theory grounding, it is inconsequential in the applicability and transferability of knowledge to real-life situations.”
The project is expected to make a valuable contribution to the relationship and academic cooperation of the U.S. and Cameroon—two partner countries with common goals and aspirations, Dr. Ndemanu said.