title: Academic Primer Series: Eight Key Papers about Education Theory.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Many teachers adopt instructional methods based on assumptions of best practices without attention to or knowledge of supporting education theory. Familiarity with a variety of theories informs education that is efficient, strategic, and evidence-based. As part of the Academic Life in Emergency Medicine Faculty Incubator Program, a list of key education theories for junior faculty was developed.
  
  
  METHODS
  A list of key papers on theories relevant to medical education was generated using an expert panel, a virtual community of practice synthetic discussion, and a social media call for resources. A three-round, Delphi-informed voting methodology including novice and expert educators produced a rank order of the top papers.
  
  
  RESULTS
  These educators identified 34 unique papers. Eleven papers described the general use of education theory, while 23 papers focused on a specific theory. The top three papers on general education theories and top five papers on specific education theory were selected and summarized. The relevance of each paper for junior faculty and faculty developers is also presented.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This paper presents a reading list of key papers for junior faculty in medical education roles. Three papers about general education theories and five papers about specific educational theories are identified and annotated. These papers may help provide foundational knowledge in education theory to inform junior faculty teaching practice.
authors.affiliation: Rush University Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Chicago, Illinois.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Gottlieb
authors.affiliation: University of California, Irvine, Department of Emergency Medicine, Irvine, California.
authors.forename: Megan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boysen-Osborn
authors.affiliation: McMaster University, Department of Medicine, Division of Emergency Medicine, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Teresa M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: University of Illinois, Peoria, Department of Emergency Medicine, Peoria, Illinois.
authors.forename: Sara M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Krzyzaniak
authors.affiliation: Universidad San Sebastián, Medicina de Urgencia, Santiago, Chile.
authors.forename: Nicolas
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pineda
authors.affiliation: Boston Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine, Boston, Massachusetts.
authors.forename: Jordan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Spector
authors.affiliation: McMaster University, Department of Medicine, Division of Emergency Medicine, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Sherbino
mesh_terms: D004501:Education, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000193:education*; D005180:Faculty, Medical; D006801:Humans; D013192:Staff Development / Q000379:methods*