Approaches to Computed Tomography Education for Radiography Students

Radiography students are exposed to computed tomography (CT) education within coursework and clinical placements. To inform enhancement of CT education in university curricula, the aim of this narrative review was to explore the current published literature relating to CT teaching methods and assessment of diagnostic radiography students during university training.

Medline, CINAHL, and Web of Science databases were used to search for articles published in English between 2015 and 2025. Reference lists of included studies were also searched. Data was extracted from 13 included studies and summarised into three themes: (1) CT education methods and characteristics, (2) evaluation of CT education activities: approaches and outcomes, and (3) student assessment in CT education.

Most studies reported that CT education commonly involved on-campus training, with fewer studies incorporating clinical placements. Developed CT education activities commonly used a tutorial-based approach, with use of CT scanners (direct access or remote-access) and virtual reality. Evaluation of CT education activities focused on student knowledge and students' experience of the education activity. Assessment in CT is mostly based on pre-post intervention quizzes to assess knowledge and blogs for reflection.

On-campus CT education supports CT knowledge for students, with clinical education playing an important role in furthering knowledge and skills. On-campus education benefits from guided learning, to support students' knowledge gain and confidence. CT education within clinical and academic settings, as well as how competency is achieved prior to graduation in radiography students, should be further investigated.