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Course profile

Fundamental MRI of the Brain & Spine (MRES7013)

Study period
Sem 1 2025
Location
External
Attendance mode
Online

Course overview

Study period
Semester 1, 2025 (24/02/2025 - 21/06/2025)
Study level
Postgraduate Coursework
Location
External
Attendance mode
Online
Units
2
Administrative campus
St Lucia
Coordinating unit
Mathematics & Physics School

Theoretical and practical considerations required to perform a basic MR examination of the brain and spine.

This course familiarises students with the basic techniques used to perform an MR examination of the brain and spine.

On completion of this course, you will be able to recognise normal anatomy and some common pathologies, be able to tailor the examination accordingly, and to crticially evaluate the final images.ᅠ You will also be aware of appropriate patient care.

Course requirements

Assumed background

Undergraduate qualification in radiography, biomedical engineering or medical physics (or international equivalent).

Restrictions

Enrolment restricted to Master of Magnetic Resonance program suite students.

Jointly taught details

This course is jointly-taught with:

  • Another instance of the same course

This course offers external and internal delivery.

Course staff

Course coordinator

Lecturer

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

Tutorials are held at Centre for Advanced Imaging, Building 57, Level 2 Seminar Room.ᅠ

All tutorials are recorded and posted onto Blackboard.ᅠ


Aims and outcomes

The purpose of this course is to familiarise students with theoretical and practical considerations required to perform a basic Magnetic Resonance (MR) examination of the brain and spine. Students will be able to recognise normal anatomy and some more common pathologies, be able to tailor the examination accordingly, and to critically evaluate the final images. Students will also be aware of appropriate patient care.

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

LO1.

recognise normal anatomy and some common pathologies

LO2.

tailor a clinical MRI examination accordingly

LO3.

critically evaluate the final images

LO4.

be aware of appropriate patient care.

Assessment

Assessment summary

Category Assessment task Weight Due date
Quiz Online Quiz
  • Online
30%

21/03/2025 2:00 pm

17/04/2025 2:00 pm

30/05/2025 2:00 pm

Paper/ Report/ Annotation Assignment One - (Group) 35%

16/05/2025 2:00 pm

Examination Final Examination
  • Hurdle
  • In-person
35%

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

A hurdle is an assessment requirement that must be satisfied in order to receive a specific grade for the course. Check the assessment details for more information about hurdle requirements.

Assessment details

Online Quiz

  • Online
Mode
Written
Category
Quiz
Weight
30%
Due date

21/03/2025 2:00 pm

17/04/2025 2:00 pm

30/05/2025 2:00 pm

Task description

  • Description

10 Question (total 10 marks)

  • Instructions

Quiz questions are True/False, Multiple Choice, Multiple Answer or Short Answer, and are worth marks according to difficulty.

  • Duration

 Each quiz duration is 30 minutes (from the start of the quiz). Tests can’t be saved. Once the quiz is started, it must to be completed within 30 minutes. The quiz will be submitted automatically once the time expires.

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for further extension/deferral information relating to this assessment item.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item then the listed penalty will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.

Assignment One - (Group)

Mode
Written
Category
Paper/ Report/ Annotation
Weight
35%
Due date

16/05/2025 2:00 pm

Task description

Group assignment - Literature review

  1. Choose a topic (topics will be provided by the course coordinator)
  2. Create your research question
  3. Conduct your literature review
  4. Write up your literature review

Your paper should aim to be 2000 words (strictly limited to 1800 - 2200 words)

APA referencing style is recommended. 

The groups will be assigned by the course coordinator after the census date


 

 

Submission guidelines

Assignments must submitted via TurnItIn, through BlackBoard (learn.uq.edu.au ). Detailed instructions on how to access and use TurnItIn will be provided at the beginning of the semester. Students are permitted to submit a draft.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for further extension/deferral information relating to this assessment item.

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

You are required to submit assessable items on time. If you fail to meet the submission deadline for any assessment item then the listed penalty will be deducted per day for up to 7 calendar days, at which point any submission will not receive any marks unless an extension has been approved. Each 24-hour block is recorded from the time the submission is due.

Final Examination

  • Hurdle
  • In-person
Mode
Written
Category
Examination
Weight
35%
Due date

End of Semester Exam Period

7/06/2025 - 21/06/2025

Task description

The final exam will be an in-person, paper-based exam. UQ Examinations will contact students directly to confirm arrangements, the student will either sit the exam at the St Lucia campus (lives within 200km radius of the campus) or will be directed to nominate an exam centre by a certain date.  

Please ensure you update your semester address in Si-net at the start of the semester.

One reminder will be sent and students who fail to nominate an exam centre and will be automatically assigned to the St Lucia campus. Late nominations will not be accepted.

A list of examination centres is listed here, but note that Exam centre availability is subject to change at short notice. 

Students enrolled internally, please refer to the course profile for Internal students for in-person examination arrangements.   

Hurdle requirements

To pass this course, students must receive at least 45% of the available marks on the final examination.

Exam details

Planning time 10 minutes
Duration 60 minutes
Calculator options

Any calculator permitted

Open/closed book Closed Book examination - no written materials permitted
Exam platform Paper based
Invigilation

Invigilated in person

Submission guidelines

Deferral or extension

You may be able to defer this exam.

See ADDITIONAL ASSESSMENT INFORMATION for the extension and deferred examination information relating to this assessment item.

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Grade Description
1 (Low Fail)

Absence of evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: 1% Demonstrates very limited understanding of the normal anatomy and common pathologies of the brain and spine, and of the principles of tailoring a clinical examination accordingly, and of evaluating the final images. Is aware of a few of the aspects of appropriate patient care. This includes attempts at answering some questions, but demonstrates limited understanding of the key concepts.

2 (Fail)

Minimal evidence of achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: 30% Demonstrates limited understanding of the normal anatomy and common pathologies of the brain and spine, and is aware of some of the principles of tailoring a clinical examination accordingly, and of evaluating the final images Is aware of some of the aspects of appropriate patient care. This includes attempts at expressing their deductions and explanations and attempts to answer a few questions accurately.

3 (Marginal Fail)

Demonstrated evidence of developing achievement of course learning outcomes

Course grade description: 45% Demonstrates some understanding of the normal anatomy and common pathologies of the brain and spine, and is aware of the principles of tailoring a clinical examination accordingly, and of evaluating the final images. Is aware of all appropriate patient care.

4 (Pass)

Demonstrated evidence of functional achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: 50% Demonstrates an understanding of the normal anatomy and common pathologies of the brain and spine, and can tailor a clinical examination accordingly, and is aware of the principles in critically evaluating the final images. Is very aware of all appropriate patient care.

5 (Credit)

Demonstrated evidence of proficient achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: 65% Demonstrates a good understanding of the normal anatomy and common pathologies of the brain and spine, and can tailor a clinical examination accordingly, and can critically evaluate the final images. Is very aware of all appropriate patient care.

6 (Distinction)

Demonstrated evidence of advanced achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: 75% Demonstrates a comprehensive understanding of the normal anatomy and common pathologies of the brain and spine, and can tailor a clinical examination accordingly, and is proficient in critically evaluating the final images. Is very aware of all appropriate patient care.

7 (High Distinction)

Demonstrated evidence of exceptional achievement of course learning outcomes.

Course grade description: 85% Demonstrates an excellent understanding of the normal anatomy and common pathologies of the brain and spine, and is highly proficient in tailoring a clinical examination and in crtically evaluating the final images. Is very aware of all appropriate patient care.

Additional course grading information

A maximum of a grade of 3 will be awarded if less than 45/100 is achieved in the final examination.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is available for this course.

Should you fail a course with a grade of 3, you may be eligible for supplementary assessment. Refer to my.UQ for information on supplementary assessment and how to apply. 

Supplementary assessment provides an additional opportunity to demonstrate you have achieved all the required learning outcomes for a course.  

If you apply and are granted supplementary assessment, the type of supplementary assessment set will consider which learning outcome(s) have not been met.  

Supplementary assessment in this course will be a 1-hour examination similar in style to the end-of-semester examination. To receive a passing grade of 3S4, you must obtain a mark of 50% or more on the supplementary assessment. 

Additional assessment information

Submission of Assignments

Submission of assignments by EMAIL will NOT BE ACCEPTED.

All written assignments eg. essays, reports, proposals, literature reviews etc must be submitted through Turnitin.

Turnitin submission

  1. Access the Assessment folder on the course Blackboard site
  2. Upload an electronic version through the assessment Turnitin site
  3. You will be sent a receipt, retain the receipt as proof of submission.
  4. If you don't receive a receipt then your assignment has not been submitted - please re-submit.

You may submit a draft prior to the final submission

Artificial Intelligence

Assessment tasks in this course evaluate students' abilities, skills and knowledge without the aid of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Machine Translation (MT). Students are advised that the use of AI or MT technologies to develop responses is strictly prohibited and may constitute student misconduct under the Student Code of Conduct.

Applications for Extensions to Assessment Due Dates

Extension requests are submitted online via my.UQ – applying for an extension. Extension requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with extension requests, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons, may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

  • Requests for an extension to an assessment due date must be submitted through your my.UQ portal and you must provide documentation of your circumstances, as soon as it becomes evident that an extension is needed. Your application must be submitted on or before the assessment item's due date and time.
  • Applications for extension can take time to be processed so you should continue to work on your assessment item while awaiting a decision. We recommend that you submit any completed work by the due date, and this will be marked if your application is not approved. Should your application be approved, then you will be able to resubmit by the agreed revised due date.
  • If an extension is approved, you will be notified via your my.UQ portal and the new date and time for submission provided. It is important that you check the revised date as it may differ from the date that you requested.
  • If the basis of the application is a medical condition, applications should be accompanied by a medical certificate dated prior to the assignment due date. If you are unable to provide documentation to support your application by the due date and time you must still submit your application on time and attach a written statement (Word document) outlining why you cannot provide the documentation. You must then upload the documentation to the portal within 24 hours.
  • If an extension is being sought on the basis of exceptional circumstances, it must be accompanied by supporting documentation (eg. Statutory declaration).
  • For extensions based on a SAP you may be granted a maximum of 7 days (if no earlier maximum date applies). See the Extension or Deferral availability section of each assessment for details. Your SAP is all that is required as documentation to support your application. However, additional extension requests for the assessment item will require the submission of additional supporting documentation e.g., a medical certificate. All extension requests must be received by the assessment due date and time.
  • Students may be asked to submit evidence of work completed to date. Lack of adequate progress on your assessment item may result in an extension being denied.
  • If you have been ill or unable to attend class for more than 14 days, you are advised to carefully consider whether you are capable of successfully completing your courses this semester. You might be eligible to withdraw without academic penalty - seek advice from the Faculty that administers your program.
  • There are no provisions for exemption from an assessment item within UQ rules. If you are unable to submit an assessment piece then, under special circumstances, you may be granted an exemption, but may be required to submit alternative assessment to ensure all learning outcomes are met.

Applications to defer an exam

In certain circumstances you can apply to take a deferred examination for in-semester and end-of-semester exams. You'll need to demonstrate through supporting documentation how unavoidable circumstances prevented you from sitting your exam. If you can’t, you can apply for a one-off discretionary deferred exam.

Deferred Exam requests are submitted online via mySi-net. Requests received in any other way will not be approved. Additional details associated with deferred examinations, including acceptable and unacceptable reasons may be found at my.UQ.

Please note:

  • Applications can be submitted no later than 5 calendar days after the date of the original exam.
  • There are no provisions to defer a deferred exam. You need to be available to sit your deferred examination.
  • Your deferred examination request(s) must have a status of "submitted" in mySI-net to be assessed.
  • All applications for deferred in-semester examinations are assessed by the relevant school. Applications for deferred end-of-semester examinations are assessed by the Academic Services Division.
  • You’ll receive an email to your student email account when the status of your application is updated.
  • If you have a medical condition, mental health condition or disability and require alternative arrangements for your deferred exam you’ll need to complete the online alternative exam arrangements through my.UQ. This is in addition to your deferred examinations request. You need to submit this request on the same day as your request for a deferred exam or supplementary assessment. Contact Student Services if you need assistance completing your alternative exam arrangements request.

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Students are encouraged to use the UQ Library services.

Students are also encouraged to access a number of international databases available through the library.ᅠ The name and email address of the library contact person is distributed each semester, and students are assuredᅠ of her willingness to answer any queries.


Referencing

Referencing style is a set of rules on how to acknowledge the thoughts, ideas and works of others in a particular way. Referencing is a crucial part of successful academic writing, avoiding plagiarism and maintaining academic integrity in your assignments and research. Watch an Introduction to referencing (YouTube, 3m43s).

APA referencing style is recommended. Course material may be used to inform your search parameters, however, it should not be used in assignment as reference.ᅠ

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

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Learning period Activity type Topic
Tutorial

Module 1 Anatomy of the Brain

Study Module 1: Anatomy of the Brain, and complete the on-line tutorial

Tutorial

Module 2 Brain Common indications

Study Module 2: Common Indications

Tutorial

Module 3 Patient Preparation, Protocols and Parameters

Module 3: Patient Preparation, and Brain Protocols and Parameters

Tutorial

Module 4 Brain Image Evaluation

Brain Image Evaluation

Tutorial

Module 5 Introduction to fast imaging

Single-Shot Imaging Methods

Tutorial

Module 6 Artefact and image optimisation

Artefacts and Image Optimisation

Practical

Practical Session 1 - Brain (Practical)

One hour scanning session with human participant - 3T scanner

Tutorial

Module 7 Anatomy of the spine

Module 7: Anatomy of the Spine, and complete the tutorial

Tutorial

Module 8 Common Indications - Spine

Module 8: Common indications: Spine,

Tutorial

Module 9 Spine protocols and parameters

Study Module 9: Spine protocols and parameters

Tutorial

Module 10 Spine image evaluation

Tutorial

Module 11 Parallel Imaging and application in the Brain and Spine

Parallel Imaging and application in the Brain and Spine

Case-based learning

Module 12 Brain and Spine clinical case studies

Study Module 12: Brain and Spine clinical case studies

Practical

Practical Session 2 - Spine (Practical)

One hour scanning session with human participant - 3T scanner

Tutorial

Exam Preparation

Exam Preparation

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.