English Abstract: An Investigation of the Value of a Digital Learning Environment in Cameroon

WCIU Journal: Education Topic and Area Studies Topic

November 10, 2020

by Ouzerou Carlos Njoya

Abstract

Ouzerou Carlos Njoya, PhD student in Educational Sciences at the University Institute for International Development (IUDI) (sister university of WCIU)

 This investigation explores the impact of a digital learning environment on student motivation and success in comparison to the failure and success rates of students in traditional lecture halls at the University of Yaoundé (Cameroon). Quantitative statistical analysis of the data in this research shows that the majority of students are motivated to use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs), including computers and the Internet, for their training. This study has revealed that the use of ICTs has an impact on both the motivation and the success of certain learners in this institution.

This investigation is important in our West African context that is characterized by a fundamentally dogmatic pedagogy and a weak culture of reading and scientific research, including in the university. The country is connected to optical fiber and has an ICT policy, but the process of introducing ICTs in education in Cameroon is a very recent event which still faces difficulties of an infrastructural, financial, and energy nature (unstable electricity). For several years the state has encouraged individuals to invest in this area and the use of ICT is gradually gaining ground throughout the territory,. However it is not yet clear to millions of students in Cameroon that the use of ICT in teaching and learning can have a positive effect on both motivation and academic performance.

This study concludes that academic institutions need to encourage the use of technology in teaching and learning to avoid facing even higher failure rates in the age of globalization. However, the promotion of the use of ICT needs to include not only academic use but also the change in motivation that accompanies students’ discovery of the benefits of technology such as accessibility to research and various resources.

The increased use of technology in educational institutions has the potential to facilitate the democratization of education, especially in African countries that remain underdeveloped. On this subject, isn't digital in education a chance to get Africa out of its underdevelopment?

 The full article in French is available HERE.