Use of Digital vs Printed Posters for Teaching and Learning in Pharmacy Education

• Published in: American journal of pharmaceutical education Vol. 85; no. 6; pp. 398 - 402
• Main Authors: Newsom, Lydia C., Miller, Susan W., Chesson, Melissa
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Alexandria Elsevier Inc 01.06.2021; American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy; Elsevier Limited; American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education
• Subjects: Beliefs, opinions and attitudes; Brief; Communication; Data Analysis; Drug stores; Education; Educational aspects; Electronics in printing; Graduate students; Learning management systems; Peer review; Peers; Perceptions; Pharmaceutical Education; Pharmacists; Pharmacy; Posters in education; Preferences; Student attitudes; Study and teaching; Teaching Methods; technology; virtual; United States; poster; virtual; technology
• ISSN: 0002-9459; 1553-6467
• DOI: 10.5688/ajpe8307

Objective. To characterize student pharmacists’ perceptions of the use of posters as a learning tool and their preferences regarding digital posters compared to printed posters for presentation and review. Methods. Student pharmacists presented and peer-reviewed posters in a digital format using a tablet and an overhead monitor or in a printed format mounted on a poster board. The perceptions of two cohorts of pharmacy students were characterized by comparing their responses on pre- and post-activity surveys. Results. The pre- and post-activity surveys were completed by 543 students (95.3%) in the 2017-2018 academic year and 553 students (97%) in the 2018-2019 academic year, respectively. Over 95% of students perceived that the poster activity enhanced their poster creation, literature evaluation, and communication skills, while also improving their learning of pharmacy-related topics. There was a significant increase on the post-activity survey in the number of students who preferred the digital poster format, with students indicating that the digital format was straightforward (87.3%), enhanced their presentation (77.2%), and promoted learning (70.5%). Conclusion. Poster presentations provide a platform for the dissemination and discussion of topics and allow students to improve their presentation and communication skills. Digital posters represent a convenient, cost-effective, and preferred presentation method for pharmacy students compared to printed posters.