The University of Bamenda has opened the 2025/2026 academic year with a two-day pedagogic seminar focused on strengthening transformative and experiential learning across the institution. The seminar, held on October 23, brought together academic leaders, lecturers, and administrators under the theme Institutional Approaches to Transformative Education, Experiential and Quality Learning Outcomes at UBa and Their Contributions to National Development.
The Vice Chancellor, Prof Theresia Nkuo-Akenji, presided over the opening session. She stressed the need for universities to redesign teaching, research, and evaluation methods so they can respond more effectively to national development priorities. She called on faculties to deepen innovation, adopt experiential teaching models, and pursue quality outcomes that prepare students for a fast-changing world.
The first day featured six technical presentations. Each focused on a core area of academic innovation and institutional performance.
• Transformative Education within the CESA 2025–2026 framework presented by the DVC-TIC
• Publishing ethics and quality concerns in the assessment of postgraduate theses
• Success stories from experiential learning and problem-based learning projects
• Progress made in Open and Distance Learning as part of the Commonwealth of Learning programme
• Expansion of the UBa Incubation Centre through training and innovation
• Monitoring, evaluation, and learning systems that support institutional transformation
A Q&A session followed the presentations. Afterwards, participants met in faculty and school groups to examine three practical areas. They worked on identifying performance gaps in delivering transformative education, reviewing best practices from experiential and PBL models, and designing evidence-based monitoring tools to track progress.
The second day was dedicated to reporting. Deans and Directors presented the outcomes of their group sessions, outlining priority actions for their schools and units.
In her closing remarks, the Vice Chancellor thanked academic staff for their commitment to improving teaching and research at UBa. She also saluted the coordination efforts of the office of the DVC-TIC and the Directorate of Academic Affairs, noting that the seminar sets the pace for a productive academic year.
By Lucas Muma
