Overview
This is the first of four units of study in the field of Imaging Science. This foundation unit builds on your introductory study of radiography and use of x-ray equipment in the prerequisite unit MEDI11001 Fundamentals of the Imaging Professions. In this unit you will examine the design and operation of the x-ray tube and the x-ray generator, learning how form follows function to enable controlled radiation output in terms of beam contents, location, dimensions and duration. You will examine the radiation interactions with matter that occur for diagnostic x-ray energies and factors affecting the relative quantities of each that occur as an x-ray beam passes through an object. You will learn how ionising radiation is measured and expressed, particularly in terms of clinical metrics. You will discuss techniques of clinical equipment use to conserve equipment life and support radiation safety of the patient, the equipment operator and others in the area. You will discuss radiation bioeffects and radiation safety standards for diagnostic x-ray exposure.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Pre-requisites: MEDI11001 Fundamentals of the Imaging Professions MEDI11002 Physics for Health Science
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).
Offerings For Term 3 - 2026
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).
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.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
| Assessment Task | Part Weighting (% of assessment) |
Assessment Security Level | Gen AI Guidance Levels |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Online Quizzes (20% of unit · 1 part ) | |||
| Part 1 – Assessment 1 Online Quizzes (Online Quiz(zes)) | 100% of 20% | Low | No Gen AI Use |
| 2. Online Test (30% of unit · 1 part ) | |||
| Part 2 – Assessment 2 Online Test (Online Test) | 100% of 30% | Low | No Gen AI Use |
| 3. EXAMINATION (50% of unit ) | |||
| Examination (Examination) | 100% of 50% | High | No Gen AI Use |
Assessment Grading
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.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Academic Progression Policy and Procedure
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
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.
Feedback from Student feedback
Students reported that the tutorials were most helpful when they focused on practical and clinically relevant content.
The UC will investigate additional and adapting existing tutorial questions to demonstrate the relationship to the field of medical imaging.
Feedback from Self-reflection
Update lecture recordings and study resources
Unit materials will be reviewed to ensure they align with industry requirements and accreditation requirements. Resources will be updated as required.
- Relate the design, structure and operation of the x-ray tube assembly to the production of x-radiation, equipment conservation and safety
- Discuss the major components and operations of the x-ray generator in controlling the x-ray tube voltage waveform and current
- Discuss the use of technical parameters, filters and collimation in radiography to control the useful x-ray beam's contents and dimensions
- Apply physical principles in predicting and explaining processes of x-ray production and x-ray interactions with matter as well as the factors affecting these processes
- Apply the various metrics and expressions of radiation quantity and quality in discussing x-ray beam production and attenuation
- Relate core concepts of bioeffects of low-level ionising radiation and current scientific theories of radiation risk to the practice of radiography that is consistent with radiation protection legislation, regulations, standards and best practices.
This unit links to the following Professional Capabilities for Medical Radiation Practitioners as detailed by the Medical Radiation Practice Board of Australia (effective 1 March 2026):
Domain 2: Professional and Ethical Practitioner
- - key capability 1, enabling components a, d
Domain 5: Safety, Quality and Risk Management Practitioner
- - key capability 1, enabling components a, b, c
- - key capability 4, enabling components d, f, h
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
|
1.
Assessment 1
(20% of unit)
Part 1 -
Online Quiz(zes)
|
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|
2.
Assessment 2
(30% of unit)
Part 1 -
Online Test
|
||||||
|
3.
Examination
(50% of unit)
Examination
|
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Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||||
| 10 - First Nations Knowledges | ||||||
| 11 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||||