Student Poster Conferences as a Formative, Authentic, Inclusive and Sustainable Assessment Practice

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• Innovative assessment is crucial for professional medical and health professions education.
• Current assessment methods may not fully support research competency and professional identity formation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose student poster conferences as a valuable assessment practice.
• To highlight the potential of poster conferences in developing research competencies and professional identity.

Main Methods:

• Student poster conferences were examined as a formative assessment tool.
• The practice was analyzed for its authenticity, inclusivity, and sustainability.
• Consideration was given to peer feedback and stakeholder engagement.

Main Results:

• Poster conferences provide a safe-to-fail, experiential learning opportunity with feedback.
• They replicate real-world conference experiences, including public scholarship and peer review.
• Flexibility in format and broader participation enhance inclusivity and community integration.

Conclusions:

• Student poster conferences are a versatile, authentic, and inclusive assessment method.
• This practice fosters research competency and professional identity in health professions students.
• Poster conferences are a sustainable, cost-effective, and widely applicable assessment strategy.