MEDI12005 - Science and Instrumentation 2

General Information

Unit Synopsis

This unit builds on Science and Instrumentation 1 (MEDI12001) and aims to provide you with insights about the x-ray generator and timing circuit in the digital environment. You will learn to apply concepts such as digital image processing, histogram analysis, post-processing and artificial intelligence (AI) to control radiographic image appearances. You will also be introduced to the physical and operational principles of specialised equipment such as orthopantomography (OPG), bone mineral densitometry, mammography, mobile and fluoroscopic systems. This unit will help you understand how image quality and dose can be influenced for fluoroscopic systems.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 2
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 2
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites

Prerequisites:

MEDI12001 Radiation Science and MEDI12002 Science and Instrumentation 1

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2024

Term 2 - 2025 Profile
Mackay

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Online Test 40%
2. In-class Test(s) 60%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 2 - 2023 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 80.00% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 25% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Unit Coordinator reflection
Feedback
The provision of a review and consolidation tutorial in Week 13 was well received by the students and helped them to understand the unit topics and see how the weekly content were related.
Recommendation
Maintain the provision of a review and consolidation tutorial prior to the final assessment in future iterations of the unit.
Action Taken
The provision of the review and consolidation tutorial prior to the final assessment was maintained.
Source: Unit Coordinator reflection
Feedback
This unit depends immensely on students' prior knowledge of concepts covered in pre-requisite units. A critical part of the learning strategy for this unit is the weekly tutorial where students work in small groups to share their prepared responses to posted questions and learn how to improve responses relative to assessment criteria. Although tutorial attendance was excellent, most students were hesitant to share their individual and/or group responses to the class and required continuous encouragement from the unit coordinator to do so.
Recommendation
Emphasise the importance of integration of prior-knowledge to current concepts covered in the unit and active participation in tutorials.
Action Taken
The importance of actively integrating prior knowledge with current unit concepts was emphasised in the unit welcome video. The current cohort was more interactive and actively participated in the tutorials.
Source: Unit Coordinator reflection
Feedback
Adapting the use of a global feedback video outlining the target responses, areas of error and areas that were done well in the online test supported the marking team in returning the marked assessments to students in a timely manner.
Recommendation
Maintain the use of a global feedback video for assessments in future delivery of the unit.
Action Taken
Global feedback videos were not provided in the current iteration. However, a more individualized feedback approach highlighting areas of error(s) and the specific unit and weekly learning outcomes that the questions were related to was adapted. The assessments were still marked and returned within the timeframe stipulated in the unit profile.
Source: SUTE
Feedback
Audio quality was poor in some of the lecture recordings.
Recommendation
Review and update any lecture recordings exhibiting poor audio quality for future iterations of the unit.
Action Taken
The videos exhibiting poor audio quality were reviewed and redone for the current delivery.
Source: Unit Coordinator reflection
Feedback
Having two online tests as assessment items may increase academic integrity issues and may not effectively distinguish between performance levels among the cohort.
Recommendation
Investigate the option of having on-campus supervised assessments in future delivery of the unit.
Action Taken
The final assessment was implemented as an on-campus supervised assessment to alleviate academic integrity issues and support better distinction of performance levels among the cohort.
Source: SUTE Coordinator reflection
Feedback
Some students found the post-tutorial bite size explanation (BSE) videos very helpful in explaining topics that they were having trouble with.
Recommendation
Continue with the provision of the post-tutorial bite size explanation (BSE) videos in future iterations of the unit to assist students with understanding the topics that they struggle with.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Coordinator reflection Informal feedback from students
Feedback
The revamped 2 hr lab intensive session was well received by the students and assisted them in consolidating topics related to image processing and post-processing.
Recommendation
Continue with the adaptation of the 2 hr lab intensive session to support students in consolidating topics related to image processing and post-processing.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Informal feedback from students Student Activity Monitor (SAM) data
Feedback
Some students preferred to study the unit by referring to the pdf documents of the lecture slides instead of watching the recorded lectures.
Recommendation
Encourage students to maximize their understanding by actively engaging with recorded lecture videos, fostering a deeper comprehension of course material beyond the confines of lecture slides.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. Relate the main sub-components of the x-ray generator to the overall generator operation and the controlled production of radiation
  2. Outline the use of automatic exposure timing devices in controlling the duration and quantity of a given exposure and the safe operation of a digital radiographic unit
  3. Apply concepts such as exposure index, pre-processing and correction, histogram analysis, post-processing and artificial intelligence (AI) to control radiographic image appearances
  4. Discuss the design and operational features of the orthopantomography (OPG), bone mineral densitometry, mammography, mobile and fluoroscopic units
  5. Discuss the control of image quality and radiation dose in fluoroscopic imaging systems.

The unit links to the following Professional Capabilities for Medical Radiation Practitioners as detailed by the Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia (effective March 2020):

  • Domain 1: 3 Understand and apply the different methods of imaging and treatment (Part a & b)
  • Domain 1A: 1 Perform projection radiography in a range of settings (Parts a, d, e & f)
  • Domain 1A: 2 Perform fluoroscopy and angiography examinations in a range of settings (Parts a, d & e)




Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Online Test • • •
2 - In-class Test(s) • • • • •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4 5
1 - Communication • • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • • •
4 - Information Literacy •
6 - Information Technology Competence •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10