Techie turning school books into virtual 3D videos

Lawrence Wangereka has found a smart way to assist learners master content. He designs video books covering secondary school syllabus as set out by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD).

The video books even contain 3D animations for certain topics. Mr Wangereka, 31 who founded a school called, the Global-Link Academic Agency in 2013, says he realised that most slow learners struggled to grasp knowledge.

Most average students, he says, have difficulty in understanding some concepts if not well explained.

“I knew they were not intellectually challenged and they needed a simple way to explain the concepts, but I just didn’t know then how to do it. I always believed that mastering the content was the key to academic success because it worked for me,” says the innovator.

The visual books, he adds, allow learners to relate easily with the topics being taught and in the process internalise them.

The innovator came up with the idea of turning books into videos when he was in the university.

“There was an organisation called I choose Life Africa (ICL) that I was a member of. They trained us on peer education on HIV/AIDs. In one presentation the facilitator used a video animation to demonstrate how the virus attaches to the CD4, internalises itself, and hijacks the cell to make viral copies,” says Mr Wangereka, who graduated with a degree in bio-medical science and technology from Egerton University in 2012.

“It was a 30-seconds clip, but the kind of impact it had on the audience in terms of comprehension was amazing. The content of a 10-page handout had been presented in a 30-second clip with nearly a 100-fold impact,” he tells Digital Business.

“The first thing that hit my mind was a video book. I knew I had a solution to the abstract concepts in schools.”

And this is precisely what he does now. The virtual books, he says, “have sound narration accompanied by visual 3D-animations and practical demonstrations.”

Each video book is loaded with the content for a whole year for a particular subject, and is organised in terms of topics.

How does he ensure quality of the books he is producing?

“We are working with professional teachers who review our works. Currently we have produced video books for Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Geography for Form One to Form Four,” says the innovator.

Mr Wangereka notes that use of video animations can save up to 30 percent of teaching time, translating to eased syllabus coverage and at the same time, compensates for the inadequate staffing in some schools.

With Covid-19 pandemic having interrupted physical learning, he says the innovation can bring learning from a class-room set-up to the comfort of a learner’s home.

He charges Sh1,000 for material in flash drive, Sh300 per subject per class or Form. The Mathematics course for Form One and Two costs Sh300. Online subscription is Sh200 weekly, Sh500 monthly, and Sh1000 annually.

Mr Wangereka notes that he is working on developing content for hearing-impaired students with sign language interpreters due to inadequate number of tutors for special needs education.

“We are also currently in talks with an organisation called World Possible Kenya which markets the offline learning gadget called RACHEL (Remote Area Community Hotspot for Education and Learning) where we can pre-load the content and our clients can access it once they buy the server,” says Lawrence.

Since he started seven years ago, he has been able to reach between 500 and 600 schools in counties such as Meru and Murang’a as well as about 1 million parents.

He notes that their content, which is free for one month for first-time users, is currently available on their website https://highimpactscience.co.ke/our-courses/ .

“Those who don’t have access to the internet can also access our content in the form of DVDs and flash drives which can be purchased in bookshops in Nairobi or order from us,” he says.

Some of the challenges include piracy. Mr Wangereka says there is a way to protect the products with passwords, but that then limits the use to a computer.

“Remember we wanted a product that can be used with the simplest of household gadgets like a TV,” he says.

Another challenge is phobia for technology among some parents and learners.

“Sometimes we also meet people who are still technophobic. They want to hold onto the conventional teaching methods of chalk and blackboard,” observes Mr Wangereka.

He also laments that the vetting and approval process by KICD is quite expensive and unaffordable to most content creators.

The techie says the government should cultivate a favourable environment for innovative content to be created.

Recently, Education Cabinet Secretary Prof George Magoha said the government was engaging external and internal partners to support e-learning for the learners.

“This issue that the government said there is no face-to-face learning for now doesn’t mean learning has stopped. Government will engage internal and external stakeholders to ensure that there is online training,” said the CS, during a tour at Mosoriot Teachers Training College, Nandi County on July 10.