Constructive Alignment in Diagnostic Imaging-A Multidiscipliniary Course in Biomedical Engineering over a Decade and Beyond

Paper in proceeding, 2025

Many educators face challenges in maintaining academic standards in multidisciplinary courses, particularly those covering both foundational knowledge and state-of-the-art developments. This is especially evident in technical universities, where students are expected to graduate with a solid grasp of the latest industrial technologies. To meet this goal, it is common to invite industry professionals and domain experts to deliver guest lectures. However, when a course is heavily composed of guest lectures, alignment with the intended learning outcomes can be difficult to ensure due to variations in content depth and instructional style. This paper presents a reflective case study on constructive alignment within the context of a decade-long teaching journey in medical imaging across two institutions: Chalmers University of Technology (Sweden) and the University of Queensland (Australia). At Chalmers, the "Diagnostic Imaging"course included a diverse range of imaging modalities - from computerized tomography (CT), Ultrasound (US) Imaging, Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI), Positron Emission Tomography (PET), and Single Photon Emission Computerized Tomography (SPECT) to emerging techniques like microwave and terahertz imaging - delivered by both faculty and external experts. A key challenge arose in aligning these varied guest lectures with the course's intended outcomes, particularly in the domain of MRI. To address this, a new group-based assignment was introduced, strategically designed to bridge the MRI lecture content with the course objectives. Student feedback indicated increased engagement, better understanding, and improved alignment between teaching activities and assessment. The paper also reports on continued pedagogical innovations at the University of Queensland, where the "Medical Imaging"course was enhanced with an iterative CT reconstruction assignment using MATLAB and weekly tutorial sessions. These activities deepened student understanding of image reconstruction techniques and reinforced theoretical knowledge through practical problem-solving. Overall, this work demonstrates that with thoughtful design and constructive alignment, complex, multi-instructor courses can achieve high academic standards and foster meaningful student learning outcomes in biomedical engineering education. Beyond the formal structure of the courses, this paper also explores how Diagnostic and Medical Imaging have served as platforms for student engagement in research and professional development. A number of thesis projects, research scholarships, and tutoring roles have grown out of these courses, many of which led to further academic pursuits or careers in biomedical engineering. In parallel, the paper reflects on ongoing challenges in delivering multidisciplinary content to students with diverse academic backgrounds, offering practical strategies to balance engineering rigor with clinical relevance. These insights underscore the broader impact and adaptability of medical imaging education in contemporary engineering curricula.