A Collaborative Educational Intervention Integrating Biology and Physics in Radiation Oncology - A Design Research Case Study

Oct 15, 2026

Instructional design is framed as evidence gathering to build optimal learning solutions within a specific context. This case study addresses the challenge of creating an educational activity that fosters interaction and collaboration among an interdisciplinary group of physicians, radiobiologists, and radiation physicists. It documents the design and implementation of an online collaborative case study using inquiry in small teams, followed by large-group discussion, to strengthen interdisciplinary communication skills and enable evidence-based treatment decisions.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages20

Reading Time50 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Cancer treatment and training needs

Interdisciplinary grant and intervention goals

Purpose and research questions

Case Background

A Collaborative Educational Intervention Integrating Biology and Physics in Radiation Oncology: A Design Research Case Study Monica W. Tracey, Michael Joiner, Sara Kacin, Jay Burmeister Wayne State University, United States Received: 24.01.2018 Accepted: 16.03.2018 Published: 13.04.2018 Abstract Instructional design focuses on solving problems in a multitude of contexts. As such, designers are investigators, gathering evidence to optimally design solutions to learning problems within the identified context. The challenge described in this case study was the need to create an educational activity to promote interaction and collaboration among an interdisciplinary participant group comprised of physicians, radiobiologists, and radiation physicists. Based on the premise that interdisciplinary medical research collaboration requires a shared understanding of authentic problems from multiple perspectives, this design research case documents the design and implementation of an online case study incorporating collaborative inquiry in interdisciplinary teams with the intended outcome of building or strengthening interdisciplinary communication skills. Contextual factors – including the design team and design process – influencing the design of the activity are documented. Results indicate that using an interactive online case study as the basis for collaborative inquiry in small, interdisciplinary teams followed by a summative, large group discussion resulted in (1) evidence-based treatment decisions based on the data supplied in the case study and (2) participation of all disciplines in team interactions. Outcomes also indicated the building or strengthening of interdisciplinary communication skills and the understanding of the value and contribution of all three fields to radiation oncology treatment resulted in the participation of the online case study. Keywords: Collaborative educational intervention; Design research; Instructional design; Conjecture mapping; Interdisciplinary teams; Interactive online case study Introduction Instructional design focuses on solving problems in a multitude of contexts. As such, designers are investigators, gathering evidence to optimally design solutions to learning problems within the identified context. The challenged described in this case study was the need to create an educational activity to promote interaction and collaboration among adult course participants. The challenging context was the interdisciplinary make-up of the group. How does a design team create an innovative collaboration-based educational activity for an interdisciplinary group comprised of physicians, radiobiologists, and radiation physicists? This case study documents the iterative design of a collaboration-based educational activity, the Virtual Hospital (VH), and its impact on promoting interaction among physicians, radiobiologists, and radiation physicists while solving problems. We begin with a little background of the content and context. Cancer impacts most people one way or another in the United States. Treatment for many of those effected includes radiation therapy. As a result, the number of patients receiving radiation therapy, as a component of their primary cancer treatment, is forecast to increase by more than 20% over the next decade to almost 600,000 patients per year (Smith, Haffty, Wilson, Smith, Patel, & Buchholz, 2010) . Yet, decreasing emphasis on radiation research over the past decade is making it more difficult to provide oncologists and researchers with the best training. Additionally, there is a lack of integration of this knowledge with medical physics which is now also required in the clinical practice of radiotherapy for cancer (Dynlacht, Zeman, Held, Deye, Vikram & Joiner, 2015) . In an effort to address this problem, the National Cancer Institute (NCI), a division of the National Institute of Health (NIH) awarded a five-year interdisciplinary grant supporting the design

FAQs

What problem does the case study aim to solve?

It focuses on designing an educational activity that promotes interaction and collaboration among physicians, radiobiologists, and radiation physicists in an interdisciplinary setting.

What educational approach is implemented in this study?

The study documents an online case study that uses collaborative inquiry in interdisciplinary teams, followed by a summative large-group discussion.

What outcomes are reported from the Virtual Hospital (VH) activity?

Results indicate evidence-based treatment decisions and participation across all disciplines, along with building or strengthening interdisciplinary communication skills and understanding each field’s value.

Oct 15, 2026

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