Education in the ‘New Normal’ COVID-19 Pandemic Era: A Practical Example in the University of Yaounde I, Cameroon

The COVID-19 pandemic, with staggering effects on man’s activities all over the World has imposed a ‘new normal’ in the higher educational arena that stands to continue to prevail after the pandemic. Indeed, the manner in which knowledge is imparted has suddenly moved from the traditional onsite to a hybrid system, incorporating the classical face-to-face and online modes of course delivery. What is paradoxical is that this pedagogical paradigm-shift is being experienced in the University of Yaounde I at a time when the implementation of remote and other applications of educational technology is still quite fledgling in Cameroon. This study is qualitative in nature; involving in-depth interviews with 15 lecturers and 21 students randomly sampled from the University of Yaounde I. While data was analyzed through content-analysis, interpretations were made in the light of Kurt Lewin’s Theory of Change and Homi Bhabha’s Hybridity theory. Results reveal that uneven access to technological devices, inadequate training, and lack of conducive remote learning environments are hampering the new normal. To this effect, a number of recommendations have been made.