Web conferencing interviews
Katrina Skewes McFerran wanted to include a number of world experts in the field of music therapy in the videos for her How Music Can Change Your Life MOOC.
Music therapy practitioners form a strong global community of practice. While local subject matter experts were available for studio interviews, web conferencing interviews became a viable alternative for geographically dispersed contributors. With advances in broadband technology, web conferencing is now at a stage where the video and audio quality is acceptable for the production of educational videos.
Irrespective of which video conferencing platform you use, such as Skype or ZOOM, the ability to bring subject matter experts from around the world into your classroom to share their experience and knowledge with your students seems to have never been easier. Instead of them having to transport themselves to your studio, you can bring them into your course with VOIP technology.
Tip
While audio intelligibility is paramount, also consider the background and surroundings of the environments that you are recording in and ensure there is sufficient lighting so viewers can see the presenters. Be aware of bandwidth limitations, especially if contacting more than two people in the recording simultaneously.