eLearningMinds uses the Intel® NUC to make video content production simple and cost effective. The solution is in demand by universities and corporations, and sales are expected to grow by double digits.
Kuala Lumpur–based eLearningMinds provides solutions that help businesses and academic institutions develop e-learning content. It also offers training and consultancy services in the area of e-learning.
When the firm started in 2004 under the name Universal IT Solutions, it primarily provided e-learning content for companies in Malaysia – mostly banks and insurers. It eventually rebranded as eLearningMinds and began expanding into Asia, particularly China.
This rebranding exercise allowed the firm to diversify its offerings and provide clients with new tools for content creation.
“We believe it’s better to have the subject matter experts develop their e-learning content,” says Kelvin Loh, Founder of eLearningMinds.
“To enable them to do this, we find new tools that will make it easy for them to create their own content.”
One of the tools eLearningMinds offers to clients is a solution for creating video content.
“We are very positive about the potential of this solution because it can be used by anyone. By using a reputable brand like Intel, we believe customers will have greater trust in this solution.”
— Kelvin Loh,
Founder of eLearningMinds
“Video has become the preferred medium for delivering training and learning, and for communicating in general,” says Loh.
The rise of user-generated content made the firm realise the immense potential of providing an easy-to-use video creation tool. “Because when we talk about users, we’re talking about millions of people – it can be anyone using the solution,” explains Loh.
Addressing Video Creation Challenges
In 2015, eLearningMinds launched its search for such a solution; one that would address the difficulties typically associated with producing a video.
“Videos traditionally sound more complex to make than printed or audio materials,” says Loh. “For many people, creating a video requires a lot of skills. You need a good camera operator and sound and lighting experts.”
Because of the seemingly complex process, many organisations view video production as time-consuming.
There’s also the cost factor, or the impression that producing videos is costly because it requires several types of equipment, such as audio and video devices.
Loh and his team were after a tool that could overcome all these challenges. In particular, they wanted a solution that would be:
- Effective for the user
- Efficient for the video creator
- Economical for the sponsor
Trialling Options
eLearningMinds tried a number of options, but they did not meet the firm’s requirements. When Loh spoke with staff members of Taknet Systems* – a computer hardware distributor in Malaysia where Loh is a director – they suggested the Intel® NUC, a mini PC with entertainment, gaming and productivity features.
“The team at Taknet believed the Intel® NUC could meet most of our criteria for a computer system, so we looked at it,” says Loh.
After testing the Intel® NUC, eLearningMinds identified three factors to use the mini PC.
- Portability – because the Intel® NUC is only 4×4 inches small, users can create videos anytime, anywhere
- Computing power – it has the capacity needed to record and render videos
- Premium design – the device boasts an edgy design that is still simple to navigate
Ensuring Compatibility
The process of finding the right solution did not end there. eLearningMinds had to test its video creation software – pStudio* – with the Intel® NUC to ensure they were compatible.
Loh and his team also had to find a microphone and camera that would feed audio and video signals into the computer system. After testing several microphones and cameras and enhancing the pStudio software, the firm got a combination of devices that worked well with the Intel® NUC.
Besides receiving video and audio signals, the system also accepts inputs from an external computer and allows users to add media to a video recording.
eLearningMinds now offers video creation devices as a package solution. These devices – the Intel® NUC, an LED monitor, a microphone and a camera – all come in one portable case.
Using the Solution
With the Intel® NUC hosting pStudio, creating videos for e-learning has never been easier.
“Everything, from audio and video to media inputs, can be done by only one person,” says Loh.
Users can simply record at their desk, incorporate media or presentation materials into the recording, and then upload it into a media platform.
The solution is in demand by universities in Malaysia and China that are trying to offer massive open online courses (MOOCs). They are also eager to introduce ‘The Flipped Classrooms’, a teaching strategy where students learn in their own time by watching videos and other materials, and classroom time is focused on interactive and more engaging activities.
These universities have struggled to produce video lessons. Some of them tried to make videos in the traditional way – with a camera operator, audio-visual equipment and lights – but found it too cumbersome.
With the eLearningMinds solution, lecturers can produce video content easily on their own, making video production efficient and economical, says Loh. “The moment they press the stop button, the video is ready,” he adds.
eLearningMinds has also introduced the solution to large companies. Corporate trainers have found the solution particularly useful for addressing a large number of people. Trainers at banks, for example, have to regularly run product briefings for employees. But the number of people involved and their different locations make it impractical to bring them together in one place.
“Corporate trainers can simply use our solution to produce and distribute videos so everyone can learn at the same time,” says Loh.
The pStudio solution facilitates the incorporation of video conferencing system such as Zoom*, Skype*, etc. This is particularly useful for enhancing the delivery of corporate communication and distance learning.
Allowing Flexibility
Users are impressed with the eLearningMinds solution because of its portability and ease of use. The Intel® NUC has given them flexibility in how and where they want to use the solution.
“With the NUC, clients can display their video in more ways than one,” says Loh. “They can connect it to a large TV or use it with a portable LED monitor. Everything is wireless.”
eLearningMinds and its clients have also rated the Intel® NUC’s performance as highly satisfactory. When the firm used other computer systems, it encountered problems such as system overheating.
“So far with the NUC, we haven’t encountered a similar incident,” says Loh. “That gives us a lot of confidence in selling the solution.”
Growing Sales
eLearningMinds has been selling the solution in Malaysia and China and has generated particularly robust sales in China. Lecturers at large universities and corporate trainers at banking, automobile and telecommunication corporations in China are among the most prolific users of the solution.
Loh expects sales to grow by double digits in the next few years.
“We are very positive about the potential of this solution because it can be used by anyone,” says Loh. “By using a reputable brand like Intel, we believe customers will have greater trust in this solution.”
Solution Highlights
Challenges
eLearningMinds launched its search for a video creation solution in 2015. The solution needed to address the difficulties associated with creating a video, including the:
- Complex and time-consuming production process
- Various skills required
- High costs
To come up with a suitable solution, eLearningMinds
had to find a computer system that would work well with its video creation software, pStudio. The system also had to be able to accept signals from a microphone and camera as well as inputs from an external computer.
Solution
After trialling the Intel® NUC, eLearningMinds selected the mini PC as the host for pStudio due to its portability, computing power and premium design.
Results
eLearningMinds has developed a package solution, with Intel® NUC at the core, that makes creating video content simple and easy.
Users are impressed with the solution’s ease of use, flexibility and portability. They have rated the Intel® NUC’s performance as highly satisfactory.
The solution has led to demand from universities and corporations across Malaysia and China. Sales are expected to grow by double digits in the next few years.
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