Health sciences students need strong communication skills so that they can engage patients, explain concepts and justify medical procedures. For 3% of their final mark, 547 students studying the anatomy and physiology of the immune system were assigned the creation of a one-page brochure to help parents understand the importance and mechanism of childhood vaccination. Students were provided with a list of possible topics (e.g. how vaccines promote active immunity, why childhood vaccination is important, the link between herd immunity and community protection) and asked to explain the physiological bases of those concepts in layman's terms. Student participation approached 100% and assignment scores averaged 85.0 - 87.6%. Feedback provided to students addressed information quality and accuracy as well as the use of colour, illustrations, and appropriate text to engage readers and convey ideas. Timely provision of feedback to large classes was facilitated by the assignment function of the course learning management system.