Many Introductory Biology for Allied Health (BIO156) students intend to pursue careers in nursing, dental hygiene, radiology, sonography, and other allied health professions. In addition to other courses, pre-allied health students must complete a sequence of prerequisite biology courses. Allied Health programs are often highly competitive, so instructors often feel pressure to emphasize academic knowledge, leaving little time for students to develop their soft skills. However, soft skills such as communication, time management, teamwork, and collaboration are critical for our students' success in these programs. This group project was designed to help students improve both soft and hard skills.
Allied Health professionals can spend a significant portion of that time educating the public. This education can take many forms, whether it's explaining the importance of regular toothbrushing, providing nutritional guidance, or explaining how and why a patient should take their medications. Professionals in these fields commonly work in collaborative teams, with team success built on clear communication and the ability to interact with others from diverse backgrounds. It is essential that in pre-requisite courses, we help students build and improve their hard and soft skills.
A multiple-week public health campaign project was developed for the BIO156 face-to-face course. Students in two course sections in Fall 2024 and two in Spring 2025 engaged in this project aimed at improving verbal communication, teamwork, and collaboration, scientific reading, and writing skills.
Student groups selected one of the following public health-related topics: (i) Health Effects of Sun Overexposure, (ii) Health Effects of Vaping, or (iii) Healthy Eating & Lifestyle. Each group was tasked with developing public-facing educational materials for the general public & individually, students were tasked with reviewing recent peer-reviewed articles on the selected topic and providing a written summary, including a reflection of these articles.
Below are the Spring 2025 & Fall 2024 Deliverables
- Literature research* (Feb)
- Writing assignment* (Mar)
- Presentation, mostly internal** (Apr)
- Awareness product** (Apr)
- Social media post (optional for extra credit)**
- Literature research* (Oct)
- Awareness product** (Nov)
- Public presentation, mostly external** (Nov)
- Social media post** (Dec)
- Writing assignment* (Dec)
Independent* & group work**
Assignment directions & grading rubrics are provided.
Fall 2024 was the first iteration of the public health project, and many lessons were learned! Although multiple changes and adjustments were made between the Fall 2024 and Spring 2025, in this document, I address only the following: (a) Project flow (b) Breaking out of rubric(s) (c ) Number of deliverables (d) Presentation format changes.
(a) Project Flow: In Spring 2025, following the literature search, students were required to produce a written summary, including a reflection, as a foundation for their campaign work. In Fall 2024, this written assignment was the final project deliverable; however, I moved the date earlier, as it allowed for richer group discussions and provided students with a stronger foundation on which to build their public presentations. Additionally, the more creative part of the project, specifically the awareness product development (created at the MarkerSpace, t-shirt, badges etc), was better suited to students at the tail end of the semester.
(b) Breakout of Rubric(s): Based on student feedback in Fall 2024 and given the multiple deliverables associated with the public health campaign projects, multiple rubrics provided a more robust framework for students, better scaffolding, and clearer instructor expectations. In Spring 2025, a grading rubric was provided for each project deliverable; in Fall 2024, only one rubric was provided for the entire project.
(c) Number of Deliverables: BIO156 is a 4-credit lecture-lab-based course with more than twenty course competencies. This project addressed one of the course competencies. Because of the nature of group project work, significant in-class time is needed. This dug into class time normally set aside for hands-on labs or instruction. As a result, the social media portion of the project became optional in Spring 2025.
(d) Presentation Format: Improved communication skills were a key goal of this project. In Fall 2024, students delivered their presentations at local schools and to community groups. Some students greatly enjoyed this aspect of their project, while others found it outside their comfort zone. As a result, in Fall 2024, two student groups presented their work to BIO160 students. In Spring 2025, the presentations remained public; however, all groups presented to fellow students in the classroom.