The Power of Virtual Poster Presentations

The pandemic prompted rapid agility and adaptation in education environments and virtual learning spaces. Many teachers discovered highly effective ways of transforming validated teaching and learning approaches into new and exciting methods. Virtual platforms provided innovative opportunities for connecting with students. One such method, the scholarly virtual poster presentation, offers many benefits. 

Why Use Scholarly Virtual Presentations? 

Virtual poster presentations offer opportunities for networking and one-on-one conversations. They can be created at little to no cost and easily edited or modified. Virtual poster presentations can be live or pre-recorded, making presentations more accessible to a larger audience. They can be displayed in a virtual space 24/7 and can be shared with a broad audience with just a click of a mouse. In addition, because the “reach” of virtual posters may extend beyond a traditional in-person event, these presentations may even foster future opportunities for collaborative research across the globe, reinforcing a “learning culture” within participating organizations. 

What Is a Virtual Poster? A virtual poster has the same components as a printed poster. Researchers create a pleasing display of a large amount of content using simple texts and images using PowerPoint presentations, WORD, Google slides, or other programs. Depending on the poster criteria and the virtual platform used for poster display, posters features may include a title, purpose statement, keywords, introduction, literature review, research methods, findings, recommendations, summary, and suggestions for future research. 

When developing the poster, use 16-font letter-size or bigger; keep images and text simple and clean; allow for empty space appropriately; ensure that spelling, grammar, and punctuation are correct; and provide references as necessary. Creating, editing, receiving feedback, and final preparation of virtual posters can be done easily online. Unlike hard-copy posters, virtual poster presentation platforms may also have media and communication features such as embedded videos, links to websites, or downloadable documents. 

What Are the Benefits? 

The digital environment is flexible, accessible, allows for scalability, and is eco-friendly. Virtual posters can maximize these elements, creating multiple connecting points with attendees, topic experts, and organizations through enhanced media-rich content, well beyond the traditional poster. 

The 2022 General Conference Virtual Exhibition Experience The 2022 General Conference (GC) Virtual Exhibition Experience will occur during the GC Session, June 6-11, 2022. This first-of-a-kind event will host a poster hall, where Adventist organizations and academic entities from around the globe will display research posters and provide presentations. The General Conference Education Department is offering a Research Award of US$50 paid directly to the GC Virtual Exhibition to cover the submission fee for a maximum of 20 selected awards. This is a unique professional opportunity for graduate students, educators, and educational researchers to connect with a global audience, engage in professional development, and grow global professional networks.

For more, see the following:

Guidelines and examples of virtual posters. Information about the GC Education Research Award. 

Complementary article in THE JOURNAL OF ADVENTIST EDUCATION®. 

We look forward to seeing you there!

Author

Sharon Aka

Sharon, PhD, is a consultant full time, currently working for 4 organizations: Adjunct Faculty at Andrews University in the graduate leadership department, Adjunct faculty at Notre Dame of Maryland University - leading their School of Nursing Competency-based Curriculum Revisioning, a researcher and author with the NAD Center for Research and Evaluation, and works half time for the General Conference as a contractor with the Virtual Exhibition Team and the Adventist COLLECTIVE. Sharon worked as the Associate Director of the Adventist Learning Community & Associate Director for the North American Division Office of Education. Sharon is a Registered Nurse by trade, with 16 years experience as Surgical Nurse and Nurse Educator at The Scarborough Hospital in Toronto, Ontario. She also has 11 years experience as a Professor of Nursing and Professional Development Specialist for faculty at Humber Institute of Technology & Advanced Learning in Toronto, Ontario.