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Unit outline_

MRTY2107: Imaging Technology 2

Semester 2, 2023 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

This unit of study extends students' knowledge of direct and computed digital radiography systems. Imaging principles of fluoroscopy, computed tomography, mammography, and magnetic resonance imaging will be investigated with particular reference to equipment, safety, dosimetry and artefacts. Students will be expected to demonstrate an understanding of image processing techniques commonly applied in sectional imaging modalities. Projection radiography will be evaluated from a historical perspective, including changes in exposure factors resulting from newer technologies.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit Clinical Imaging
Credit points 6
Prerequisites
? 
None
Corequisites
? 
None
Prohibitions
? 
None
Assumed knowledge
? 

MRTY1037 and MRTY2103

Available to study abroad and exchange students

No

Teaching staff

Coordinator Roger Fulton, roger.fulton@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s) Roger Fulton, roger.fulton@sydney.edu.au
Don Nocum, don.nocum@sydney.edu.au
Moe Suleiman, moe.suleiman@sydney.edu.au
Ryan Castillo, ryan.castillo@sydney.edu.au
Nicola Giannotti, nicola.giannotti@sydney.edu.au
Peter O'Reilly, peter.oreilly@sydney.edu.au
Type Description Weight Due Length
Supervised test
? 
In-semester exam
Pen and paper MCQ test
25% Week 07
Due date: 14 Sep 2023 at 12:00
1 hour
Outcomes assessed: LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7 LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11 LO12
Assignment Written Assignment
Essay exploring factors that affect CT image quality and dose.
35% Week 10
Due date: 15 Oct 2023 at 23:59

Closing date: 15 Oct 2023
1500 words
Outcomes assessed: LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11 LO12
Supervised exam
? 
End of semester exam
Pen and paper. Short essay-type questions and multiple-choice questions.
40% Week 12
Due date: 25 Oct 2023 at 09:00
2 hours

Assessment summary

  • In-semester exam: 30 Multiple choice questions on the material covered in weeks 1 to 5.
  • Written assignment on CT image quality.
  • Final exam: Essay-type questions and multiple-choice questions on the material covered in weeks 1 to 10, focusing on weeks 6 to 10.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.
 

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name

Mark range

Description

High distinction

85 - 100

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an exceptional standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Distinction

75 - 84

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a very high standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Credit

65 - 74

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at a good standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Pass

50 - 64

Awarded when you demonstrate the learning outcomes for the unit at an acceptable standard, as defined by grade descriptors or exemplars outlined by your faculty or school.

Fail

0 - 49

When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

  • Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
  • After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

This unit has an exception to the standard University policy or supplementary information has been provided by the unit coordinator. This information is displayed below:

In accordance with University policy, these penalties may apply when written work is submitted after the due date: Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date. After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

WK Topic Learning activity Learning outcomes
Week 01 CT 1 Block teaching (2 hr) LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11 LO12
Week 02 CT 2 Block teaching (2 hr) LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11 LO12
Week 03 CT 3 Block teaching (2 hr) LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11 LO12
CT (Demonstration/Practical) Tutorial (2 hr) LO8 LO9 LO10 LO11 LO12
Week 04 Fluoroscopy 1 Block teaching (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 05 Fluoroscopy 2 Block teaching (2 hr) LO1 LO2 LO3 LO4 LO5 LO6 LO7
Week 06 Mammography 1 Block teaching (2 hr) LO13 LO14 LO15 LO16
Week 07 Mammography 2 Block teaching (2 hr) LO13 LO14 LO15 LO16
Week 08 MRI Basics 1 Block teaching (2 hr) LO17 LO18 LO19 LO20
Week 09 MRI Basics 2 Block teaching (2 hr) LO17 LO18 LO19 LO20
Week 10 MRI Basics 3 Block teaching (2 hr) LO17 LO18 LO19 LO20

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: 

Attendance at lectures is recommended. Attendance at the practical session is also recommended as the assignment will draw on learning gained during this activity as well as during lectures. Discussions in and during class are often useful and are not well recorded by the automated recording systems online, so attendance is a fuller learning experience and I recommend you attend as many live lectures as possible.

The unit takes an active learning approach; there will be activities in class, pre-reading before class and discussion during it. The practical session is designed to integrate with and complement lectures, so the learning experience comes from the combination of these activities. As this is a 6 Credit Point course it is generally assumed to require about 6 hours of work on the unit per week.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

All readings for this unit can be accessed via the Reading List on the Canvas site for this unit.

Recommended Readings: 

  • The Essential Physics of Medical Imaging, Bushberg, Jerrold T.,
    ISBN: 9781975103262, Fourth edition, 2021, Wolters Kluwer, Philadelphia. (Available as e-Book).
  • Radiologic Science for Technologists: Physics, Biology, and Protection, Bushong, Stewart C., ISBN: 9780323292078, 10th ed., 2013, Elsevier Health Sciences, St Louis.  (Available as e-Book).
  • Physics of Radiology, Wolbarst, Anthony B., ISBN: 1930524226, 2nd ed., 2005, Medical Physics Pub., Madison, Wisconsin.
  • MRI from Picture to Proton, McRobbie, Donald W., ISBN: 1107643236,  2017, Cambridge University Press, West Nyack. (Available as e-Book).

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

  • LO1. explain visual physiology and its relationship to fluoroscopy
  • LO2. describe the basic physical principles and main components of fluoroscopic imaging systems
  • LO3. relate the components of a digital fluoroscopic imaging system to their functions
  • LO4. describe the components of an image intensifier
  • LO5. contrast the properties and use of a charge-coupled device and TV camera tube
  • LO6. explain the advantages of using a flat panel image receptor
  • LO7. outline the procedures for temporal subtraction and energy subtraction
  • LO8. describe the basic physical principles of clinical CT imaging systems
  • LO9. relate CT imaging system components to their functions
  • LO10. describe helical and multislice CT scanning modes
  • LO11. discuss analytical and iterative CT image reconstruction methods used in CT, including the treatment of helical data
  • LO12. describe CT technique factors such as pitch, beam current, kVp, rotation time, and slice thickness, and their effects on image quality and radiation dose
  • LO13. describe the components of mammography and digital breast tomosynthesis (DBT) equipment and understand the design and function of all parts of these imaging systems
  • LO14. describe the X-ray tube design used in mammography and in tomosynthesis and understand the spectral requirements for the x-ray beam used in mammography
  • LO15. discuss radiation dose considerations in mammography and tomosynthesis
  • LO16. understand the requirements for quality assurance in mammography and tomosynthesis
  • LO17. describe the physical principles of nuclear magnetic resonance
  • LO18. describe the manipulation of signal intensity based on T1 and T2 relaxation
  • LO19. describe the spatial localization of the MR signal and formation of images
  • LO20. describe the adjustment of imaging parameters to create T1 and T2 contrast

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1 Depth of disciplinary expertise

Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.

GQ2 Critical thinking and problem solving

Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.

GQ3 Oral and written communication

Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.

GQ4 Information and digital literacy

Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.

GQ5 Inventiveness

Generating novel ideas and solutions.

GQ6 Cultural competence

Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.

GQ7 Interdisciplinary effectiveness

Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.

GQ8 Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity

An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.

GQ9 Influence

Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes Graduate qualities
GQ1 GQ2 GQ3 GQ4 GQ5 GQ6 GQ7 GQ8 GQ9

Alignment with Competency standards

Outcomes Competency standards
National Safety and Quality Health Service - NSQHS
5. Comprehensive Care Standard
National Safety and Quality Health Service -
Competency code Taught, Practiced or Assessed Competency standard
5 A Comprehensive Care Standard

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

The 2021 students gave feedback which we will use to improve this unit. They mentioned the difficulty of some of the CT and MRI topics covered in the lectures relative to the time devoted to them. The lecturers are making adjustments to address this in 2023. The 2-hour CT practical sessions seemed to be one of the most popular aspects of the course and are being retained.

This unit of study may require you to attend a teaching activity timetabled in teaching venues installed with the University’s Clinical Recording and Observation System (CROS) in the Susan Wakil Health Building. Students should be aware of the privacy and information management implications of this system. For more information, please refer to the University’s Privacy Statement.

Site visit guidelines

Groups of maximum 23 students will visit the CT unit in the Susan Wakil Health Building. Please do not attend if you are not scheduled to be present as the space is limited and social distancing may be required.

Work, health and safety

COVID 19 Safety precautions will be required in all contact sessions. The Practical session may require wearing of masks. Attendance is not compulsory. Please keep updated on the University arrangements in place at the time.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.