Spring 2016 Comment Report - Scot McNary - 6/14/2016

Spring 2016 Comment Report

SCOT MCNARY

Course Sections

A EDUC 605 (251): RESEARCH AND INFORMATION TECHN

B EDUC 670 (101): SPECIAL TOPICS IN EDUCATION

C ISTC 685 (180): RESRCH IN ISTC

D TSEM-EDTL 102 (036): Disrupting Class

What did you like about this course? -

A I did learn a lot about how to evaluate research critically, but don't see where I'm going to use this knowledge unless I pursue a
doctorate.
Working with a partner
I was able to relate technology to my content area.
While the coursework was a lot, Dr. McNary spaced out assignments so that there was time to complete each while working full
time and having a family etc.
The instructor set goals that could be accomplished in the time given. The instructor was available for consultation. He answered
all emails in a timely manner. He projected a strong sense of caring and understanding.
The course taught me how to evaluate articles to see if they are good or not. I also liked that I learned to write in a different style
because my English background did not teach me how to write like a scientist.
We got to dive into articles of our choice.

B I liked the idea that it was blended learning.

I liked taking a look at both qualitative and quantiative research methods at the same time in order to get a clearer picture of each
approach.
This is a foundational course necessary to prepare students for dissertations. The small class size and open discussions were very
helpful to gain an understanding of other student views, perspectives, and different ways of thinking about particular topics.
I liked that we had face to face sessions as well as online sessions.
I liked the conversations. They expanded my knowledge of the subject and made me think about new perspectives.
This course made me think at a level I NEVER considered possible, compared to ANY research methodology course. I will never
be the same after this class (I of course mean this in a positive way
Great class- Learned a ton.
Dr. McNary was very open to feedback as the course went on about the structure of the class. That is a really helpful attitude for a
prof to have. He was also very generous with his time, providing additional feedback, and further explaining concepts. Dr. McNary
genuinely cares about his students and their learning. It was a great class and I learned a lot. It was also cool to have Dr. LW and
Dr. Sadera facilitate some of the sessions.

C Very organized and well structured. It was helpful that there were check in's with the final project throughout the semester to keep
on track.
I loved the writing day. Having a day to work on your paper with the instructor available to answer questions was very beneficial. It
always feels like I understand in class, but sometimes when I am alone trying to apply the concepts, I realize I have more
questions. The teacher was always available to answer via email, but when working on your paper toward the end, it was useful to
have the opportunity for help in person.
It was well organized and I liked that this course gives a head start on the ISTC capstone experience.

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 Spring 2016 Comment Report - Scot McNary - 6/14/2016

What did you like about this course? -

I am not a fan of research but the instructor made the course flow nicely. He helped me to understand the concepts that I struggled
with and made the class more enjoyable.
I like the content of this course. Because this course taught us how to read a research paper, and understand the data analysis in
the paper. It is important for my future study and work.
I liked that all the coursework we did throughout the semester was in preparation for the final project/proposal. This helped with
time management and understanding of the material. I also liked that the professor didn't have us do a ton of group work. Many
professors go overboard on group work, and some students don't like to work with others that much. Also, I appreciate that Prof.
McNary went easy on the grading, since he knew this was not our content focus. I would have been upset if it had brought my GPA
down this far in my degree completion.

D Discussion was encouraged and i like the writing aspect as well as teaching how to use proper citations.
it was easy to understand concepts
I liked learning about education and different opinions in education.
I liked the freedom of writing every class.
It wasn't to difficult and helped me become a better writer.
I got to learn about how education works around the world
I really enjoyed being able to read new articles and relating them back to my education.
its related to my major and it definitely helped me learn some important aspects of teaching.
I liked writting everyclass.
it was straightforward
I liked learning about the different issues in education because I've been blindsided by these issues and it effects me because I
have been going to school my whole life. It's interesting to read other scholars articles and see their opinions.
It was really interesting
It was clear, helpful for improving my writing skills, and most of our work was done in class where the professor was available to
answer questions.
I likeed that this course really allowed me to express my writing skills by reading and reflecting on articles.
evrything

What could be improved about this course? -

A N/A
Some of the organization of different assignments could be more clear.
I wish that a new timeline was created and provided to the students. After the snow days and other changes in the schedule, things
got confusing. A printed timeline would have helped eliminate confusion.
We were required to complete many assignments and many of them were submitted and not graded. We could have spent this
time focusing on our paper and other assignment rather then the hours it took to complete these assignments.
Make sure everyone works in a partner. Be clear that the modules are not 'easy/quick' work.
Some of the lesson directions were not organized in a way that followed a logical sequence. Several times one had to read the
directions & examples several times over, and rearrange them into an order that made more sense before starting. Modules
seemed pieced together...

B I don't think of any improvements really... but it would really cool to have Dr. McNary and Dr. LW team teach the first few weeks of
content. I think the back and forth would be really interesting and it would provide an even richer learning experience.
This course can be improved, perhaps through a bit less reading reflection, and more emphasis on the preparation for the papers.
The midterm was very confusing. Although it got clarified, I felt like the dsescription was incredibly vague. I did not make the
connection between two sections.

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 Spring 2016 Comment Report - Scot McNary - 6/14/2016

What could be improved about this course? -

I think that some of the assignments would have been easier to develop if there as a clear rubric.
While Dr. McNary was always open to helping students understand, there were significant delays in students receiving feedback
on assignments and course facilitation sessions. Students received feedback and grades over a week and a half period creating a
lot of tension and paranoia. The lack of grading on facilitation sessions has been troubling. Improving the course for the next cohort
of students would necessitate timely feedback following facilitation sessions and perhaps saving feedback on midterm assignments
until all papers have been graded. While early portions of the course were helpful there was considerable class confusion over the
difference between theoretical and conceptual frameworks. This contributed to a lot of confusion and consternation over the
midterm. The expectations were not clear and contradictory information was presented in class suggesting a different level of rigor.
Providing the students with examples of prior student chapter 2 and or chapter 3 for dissertations would be very helpful. There was
a LOT of discussion about how this course relates to dissertation, but without having examples makes it very hard to see how this
work will transition into later research.
Organization was lacking. Mid-term assignment felt like three assignments rolled into one just to justify having it be a larger
percentage of the grade. I see the value in examining epistomological beliefs, but this should have been a seperate assignment
from the research proposal. Lack of ongoing feedback throughout the course caused confusion.
The assignments were vague and lacked structure. For a class preparing students to write their dissertation, it would be helpful to
have a clear understanding of formats and expectations. Often times it was stated in class that things are flexible and need to work
for the students.

C This course was very science- and math- heavy, which caused a struggle for me because those are not my strengths. I tried my
best to understand those concepts but since it's not my focus area, at times I wondered why this course was required for an
educational/instructional technology major. I appreciate that we need to know how to evaluate research, but the content of this
course was deeper than I thought necessary. Also, coursework piled up and became overwhelming when it came time for the
research summary/article review #2/draft proposal/discussion board posts to be due. Maybe space these out more, or omit or
move the discussion board posts for those couple weeks.
Could talk more about qualitative research.
I understand why the instructor chose the textbooks he did though I preferred one over the other. Is it possible to use only one
textbook instead of both?
I don't believe that both text book are necessary. I used the Educational research text book and it served the purpose quite well.
The powerpoint/lecture presentations at times were difficult to follow with the examples provided. It may be beneficial to read
directly from the powerpoint and do something more interactive.

D nothing
The specific class, nothing. The Towson freshman seminar as a whole, I would create more topics, instead of mostly "extreme
teaching," maybe a variety of other subjects, too.
Nothing
more assignments that have to be done in class
nothing that i can think of
shorter readings that are more direct and to the point
Maybe more notes on how to properly in text cite.
I think as a second semester course, I already knew much of the APA formatting and how to conduct research. I feel like being a
student at Towson taught me more about APA and research than this course.
More specific rubrics for major grades.
nothing
More work could be done online without requiring class meeting

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 Spring 2016 Comment Report - Scot McNary - 6/14/2016

Would you recommend this course to others? - Yes (please explain why)

A (Yes (please explain why)): YES AND NO. For a teacher that needed help in their classroom or was going to be a leader of a
school... NO (leaders do need to know how to evaluate research, but I've never seen a grade level/content team leader, assistant
principal, or principal reading research articles to the point where they needed an entire class dedicated to it. For a teacher that
was going to do a doctoral program or that was interested in doing a lot of research and having to evaluate it...YES
(Yes (please explain why)): Good background of statistics and practice critically looking at research articles (that can help our
teaching in our classroom).
(Yes (please explain why)): Dr. McNary provides excellent feedback. There is nothing superfluous in this course. Dr. McNary
clearly knows his sugject and is an outstanding teacher.
(Yes (please explain why)): Even though research can be boring, I still learned valuable information.
(Yes (please explain why)): Dr. McNary is an excellent professor. He takes the time to check for understanding, he chunks the
information to ensure students understand the content.
(No (please explain why not)): I would recommend this class for someone working on their doctorate. I would not recommend to
other teachers that are looking to put technology into their classroom.

B (Yes (please explain why)): I learned a lot from this course.

(Yes (please explain why)): It is definitely informative but should be one of the first classes in the program.
(Yes (please explain why)): The course is an excellent introduction to educational research
(Yes (please explain why)): Because the course met my expectations. It was challenging, it was useful, it was interesting, and it
facilitated my learning.

C (Yes (please explain why)): Teacher is very willing to work with situations and is easy to approach if needed.
(Yes (please explain why)): If you plan on pursuing your doctorate, this would be an excellent course to take.
(Yes (please explain why)): If someone is needing to take this class for their masters degree towards in instructional technology,
this class is a great preparation for the capstone.
(Yes (please explain why)): The instructor knows the content and uses humor quite often. I learned a lot throughout the course of
the semester.
(Yes (please explain why)): This course is useful for all majors because everyone should have the ability of reading and
understanding research paper.
(Yes (please explain why)): I would recommend this course to others only if they have a head for math and science/stats, etc. It
was an interesting course, but I'm not sure that all of the content should have been required for an ed tech degree.

D (Yes (please explain why)): It is intresting and forces you to look at new perspectives on things, it also opens your eyes to real
problems in education
(Yes (please explain why)): it is required
(Yes (please explain why)): interesting class which allows one to express their opinions while learning others
(Yes (please explain why)): It is a good class to practice your writing and it will help prepare you to write in other classes.
(Yes (please explain why)): it helps expand your understand of how education works in different place
(Yes (please explain why)): if you are an education major then take this. you learn key concepts
(Yes (please explain why)): It makes you think further and allows you to do well
(Yes (please explain why)): good class
(Yes (please explain why)): I loved this course because it was interesting. Professor McNary made it simple, it was perfect for a
tsem
(Yes (please explain why)): It was an effective TSEM. Some of my friends did not like their TSEMs because it was irrelvant and
boring but this one you actually learn a lot and the course load isn't too much
(Yes (please explain why)): It does require some work, but is mostly easy. For the work that is done, it does require you to expand
on your thoughts and think about perspectives of other people, which is interesting.
(Yes (please explain why)): easy

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 Spring 2016 Comment Report - Scot McNary - 6/14/2016

Would you recommend this course to others? - Yes (please explain why)
(No (please explain why not)): I thought there was too much emphasis on writing than on the actual topic of education.

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