Implementing a longitudinal poster project to engage pharmacy students beyond the classroom in a foundational sciences course

Abstract

Introduction: Poster projects and presentations can provide engagement and skill-building opportunities for students. A group poster project was incorporated into a first-year required genetics and pharmacogenomics course. Rough drafts were due for the project throughout the term, which coincided with course topics. The objective of this study was to determine the impact of a longitudinal poster project on pharmacy students' perceptions of learning, presentation skills, and success in future presentations. Methods: Students in a Doctor of Pharmacy programme were surveyed via Google Forms in 2018 before and after completing the poster project. The original cohort of students were surveyed again in 2020. Data were analysed with Graphpad Prism software. Results: Students responded positively to survey questions gauging their perception of the project’s value as a learning tool, especially for reinforcing and applying course concepts. Overall, students saw the benefit of completing poster rough drafts and believed the poster was helpful in preparing and/or presenting future posters. Conclusions: A similar project could be built into any foundational course in a Doctor of Pharmacy programme. However, care should be taken to provide appropriate feedback and mentorship to students to optimise the benefits of learning and development of poster presentation skills.