Fundamentals of Life Sciences | Individual Academic Poster Assignment 2026 CNR C100 Student Guide to Creating an A1 Poster in PowerPoint Fundamentals of Life Sciences | Individual academic posters LO2 and LO4

Fundamentals of Life Sciences | Individual Academic Poster Assignment 2026 CNR C100 Student Guide to Creating an A1 Poster in PowerPoint Fundamentals of Life Sciences | Individual academic posters LO2 and LO4 Use the supplied A1 portrait or landscape PowerPoint template. Both are one blank A1 slide with a logo. You will add the title, section headings, text, diagrams and references yourself. The assessment is a poster submission; there is no oral presentation.

1. Start with the correct template Open either A1 Portrait Poster Template.pptx (59.4 × 89.1 cm) or A1 Landscape Poster Template.pptx (89.1 × 59.4 cm). Choose the orientation that suits your diagrams and reading order. Select File > Save As and give your own copy a clear filename, for example LHSC103_Surname_Poster.pptx. Save regularly. Keep the original template as a backup. Keep the slide at A1 size. Do not insert additional slides for the poster. Leave the existing logo in place. If it is difficult to select, it may be in the slide background or master; you do not need to change it.
2. Plan the content before adding boxes Choose one approved biological system. Your poster should explain its main structures and functions (LO2), show how structure supports function, and explain basic interventions or lifestyle factors that maintain the system (LO4). Make the relevance to nursing clear.

A simple reading order

What to put there

Top

Title, your name/student number as instructed, brief introduction

Middle

Structure and labelled diagram; function; explicit structure–function links

Bottom

Interventions/lifestyle factors with explanations; nursing relevance; short conclusion

References

Citations beside claims and images; separate Harvard reference page as stated in the assessment guide

Aim for approximately 1,500 words in the poster text. The assessment guide suggests section lengths; use these as guidance, not as a reason to crowd the slide. The guide asks for 15 relevant, reliable and current references on a separate page. Follow the module’s final submission instructions for how that page should be included.

3. Build the poster in PowerPoint Set your view: View > Ruler, Gridlines or Guides if available. Use Zoom to work on one part of the A1 slide, then zoom out to check the whole poster. Add the title: Insert > Text Box. Click and drag to draw a box, then type. Use the Home tab to change font size, bold text and colour. Add a separate text box for each section so you can move sections easily. Create two or three columns with evenly spaced text boxes. Add headings such as Introduction, Structure, Function, Maintenance, Nursing relevance and Conclusion. Keep the reading order obvious from top to bottom and left to right. Add a diagram: Insert > Pictures > This Device, or Insert > Icons/Stock Images if those options are available in your version. Select the picture and drag a corner handle to resize it without stretching. Picture Format > Crop removes unwanted edges. Add labels with Insert > Text Box and simple arrows with Insert > Shapes. Select related labels and diagram parts, then right-click > Group if available. Describe the biological process in your own words rather than relying on the image alone. For tidy columns, select two or more objects (hold Ctrl while clicking), then use Shape Format or Picture Format > Align. Use Align Left/Top and Distribute where useful. Leave space around text and figures. Use a light background, dark text and consistent fonts. Do not make body text tiny to fit more in. Check legibility at 100% and in the exported PDF. Add alternative text to meaningful images where possible (right-click > View Alt Text). 4 Choose images you can reuse A search result is not permission to reuse an image. Open the original image page, check its licence and any conditions, and record its creator, title, source link and licence before adding it to your poster. A Creative Commons licence may require credit, restrict commercial use or restrict adaptations. If a licence or ownership is unclear, choose another image.

Start with diagrams you create yourself in PowerPoint using shapes and labels. Credit any source whose ideas or data you use. Microsoft 365 Stock Images and Icons are convenient within a PowerPoint file. Check your account’s content rights and keep the image in the PowerPoint poster; do not assume you may extract and redistribute the asset separately. Wikimedia Commons and Openverse can help you find openly licensed images. Check the licence on the individual file page, not just the search filter. Prefer clear scientific diagrams over decorative photos. For a Creative Commons image, use a short credit near the figure and a fuller entry on the reference page. A useful pattern is: “Title” by Creator, source URL, licence name and link; note if you cropped or changed it. For example: Figure 1. Heart diagram by [creator], [source], CC BY 4.0, cropped. Replace the brackets with the actual details. Do not copy this example as a real citation.

5 Finish and submit Check every label and explanation for biological accuracy. Ask: can a reader see the link between structure, function and maintenance of health? Check all claims, diagrams and images have appropriate citations, and that the Harvard reference list is complete and consistent. Use Review > Check Accessibility if available. Check reading order, alternative text, contrast and whether text remains readable when exported. Save the editable PowerPoint. Export a PDF with File > Export or Save As > PDF, then inspect the whole A1 page for clipping, fuzzy images, tiny text or shifted boxes. Submit in the format required by the module’s Turnitin instructions; do not assume a PDF alone is accepted. The poster contributes 50% of the module mark. The MCQ/SAQ exam contributes the other 50%. You need an overall weighted module mark of at least 40%; neither assessment needs to be passed separately. You are strongly recommended to attempt both assessments.

Short tutorials and trustworthy help Start with the first two links while building the poster. The next three help with layout and accessibility. These are Microsoft support pages; some include short videos or an embedded video player. Menus vary slightly between Windows, Mac and browser versions.

Add text to a slide: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint/add-text-to-a-slide Insert a picture in PowerPoint: https://support.microsoft.com/enus/powerpoint/training/insert-a-picture-in-powerpoint Guides for arranging things on a slide: https://support.microsoft.com/enus/powerpoint/training/guides-for-arranging-things-on-a-slide Video: Improve image accessibility in PowerPoint: https://support.microsoft.com/enus/powerpoint/accessibility/video-improve-image-accessibility-in-powerpoint Video: Use more accessible colours and styles in slides: https://support.microsoft.com/enus/powerpoint/accessibility/video-use-more-accessible-colors-and-styles-in-slides Creative Commons attribution guidance: https://wiki.creativecommons.org/wiki/Recommended_practices_for_attribution Wikimedia Commons image reuse guidance: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Commons:Reusing_content_outside_Wikimedia Openverse image search: https://openverse.org/