Scot W. McNary Ph.D.

Associate Professor

Department of Educational Technology and Literacy

College of Education

Executive Summary of Professional Accomplishments

Please accept the following summary as my review of the last five years’ teaching,

service, and scholarship at Towson University. I have met or exceeded my expectations in

teaching, scholarship, and service, moreover, I have taught, collaborated, researched and grown

as an academic professional at Towson University. My teaching evaluations are very good for

any course, but especially for research methodology and statistics courses, which students are

sometimes apprehensive about taking. As a researcher and consultant, I have developed many

productive working relationships with faculty in the college, doctoral students resulting in a

several research projects. I believe that my role as a research collaborator and consultant reflect

my values in interdisciplinary research, for which I have found support at Towson University.

My service to the department and to the college has been exemplary, with leadership roles in the

EDTL department Merit Committee, COE Faculty Research Learning Community, and the

University Institutional Review Board. I summarize my accomplishments and reflections in the

areas of teaching, scholarship and service below.

Teaching

In my teaching I am committed to making quantitative tools available to developing

researchers, including both statistical theory and computing resources. Toward that end I

emphasize both statistical content and the development of skills in the use of statistical software

(e.g., SPSS) in both my doctoral level statistics courses. I encourage the development of sound
programming and documentation in the use of software by having students submit program

output for review. Data management is another skill that I emphasize throughout both courses

since most data doctoral students will encounter will require translation from one medium to

another (e.g., from hard copy to a statistical software file, or from a spreadsheet to a statistical

software file).

In content I emphasize the centrality of correlation and regression methods to all

Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) analyses (e.g., t-tests/ANOVA). Understanding that all OLS

analyses can be seen as special cases of correlation/regression is both an efficient cognitive

schemata, but also is empowering to students as they have a framework for understanding

complex analyses they encounter in their reading and as they develop data analysis plans for

their own research. I also feel strongly about helping students understand the limitations of null

hypothesis statistical testing (NHST) and learning alternatives to supplement or replace them

(e.g., effect size estimates and confidence interval estimation). At the graduate level, I believe it

is important for students to be exposed to the debate over these controversial topics and allow

them to struggle with the merits as they apply knowledge to their own research questions. As a

consequence I teach both NHST and alternatives but do not recommend one over the other.

Group work is an option I make available to graduate students in EDUC 605 and EDUC

761/ISTC 685. The key assignments for these courses are a literature review, and complete

research proposal, respectively. I find that students who work in self-organized groups produce

longer and more thoughtful written products, and say they enjoy their experiences. Not all

students prefer to work with a partner. I believe that students who do find the workload less

overwhelming, but because they feel accountable to a classmate are therefore capable of greater
productivity than working solo. Learning in groups also permits error-checking and

accommodation of new information in a less risky setting than in the classroom.

There has been an explosion of simulation applications available for statistical and

research applications. I use third party applications and some self-developed ones in my research

classes. I believe simulation helps students visualize and play with concepts that allow them to

individualize their rate of learning and customize their experience to some degree. It is related to

problem-based learning in that students have a case they have to solve with an application,

however classroom demonstrations are of shorter duration than other problem based learning

cases in which the cases extend over weeks or an entire semester. Constructivism is one logical

progenitor of problem based learning, and so I trace my interest in simulations back to

constructivism which holds that learning follows from integrating new, experience-based

learning with prior knowledge.

Teaching Evaluations. My teaching evaluations are high, with an average of 4.51/5.00,

(SD = 0.28, Range = 3.81 – 5). I strive to be patient and attuned to students’ needs for pacing,

and provide lots of feedback. Examples of recent student and collegial observation comments

which are evidence of this include the following:

o EDUC 605
 “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.”(student)
 “The professor was always willing to explain things in order to help you
understand. He was available to meet before or after class or on the phone. He
was very consistent with emailing you back and providing grades in a timely
manner. He also understood learning differences and provided us with
feedback on all assignments. I can tell he really cares about his students and
takes the time out to give feedback or email us with information he came
across that was related to our research topic. This class was challenging
because writing and doing research is very challenging, but the class helped
 me to become a better writer and researcher. I was able to use what I learned
in another class's paper and I felt great about that.”(student)
o EDUC 670 (new class in Spring 2016)
 “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.”(student)
o EDUC 761/ISTC 685
 “Dr. McNary was able to explain statistical concepts that were confusing
when I read about them in the readings.”
 “The instructor was extremely enthusiastic and knowledgeable about his
content. He was able to extend the class content so I was able to grasp it even
though this is a challenging content class for me.”
 “It was clear from this interaction and its successive ones that Scot had a
warm rapport with students. The classroom environment was relaxed and
supportive of students to share their ideas from the beginning of class and
throughout the hour that I observed. Not only did he chat with students prior
to class, but he also elicited feedback from them throughout. He demonstrated
valuing individual needs by making space for one of his students to administer
a quick survey that she was using for her own research. It was also clear that
he respected each student by supporting their individual research interests and
needs.” (collegial observation)
o EDUC 790
 “Dr McNary's disposition is great for this class (patient, kind, understanding,
even tempered) because stats stresses a lot of people out. he gave extensive
feedback, focused on mastery learning, was always available to answer
questions, is incredibly knowledgeable about the subject and thus can answer
questions and make connections in a deep way that one with less knowledge
of the subject could not.” (student)
 “This appeared to be an effective working and learning group. Interactions
with students are on-target and useful. Overall rapport is impressive. There
was way more laughing then any research course that I have every observed.
Student are challenged by the material but seem to enjoy gaining this research
knowledge.” (collegial observation)
o TSEM 102
 “Dr.McNary is always there to insist (sic) with any questions and concerns
students have and enjoys challenging students to think outside the box.”
(student)
 “Very nice and knowledgeble professor. Answered any questions efficiently
and class was enjoyable.” (student)

Courses taught (times taught):

o EDUC 605 Research and Information Technology (5)
 o EDUC 670 Special Topics in Education (1) (became EDUC 789 Introduction to
Research Methods)
o EDUC 715 Statistical Principles of Research Design and Analysis (2)
o EDUC 761 Research in Education (2)
o EDUC 790 Advanced Measurements and Statistics in Education (2)
o ISTC 685 Research in Instructional Technology (10)
o ISTC 694 Directed Readings in Statistical Analysis (9)
o ISTC 695 Independent Study (6)
o ISTC 787 Instructional Technology Capstone (1)
o TSEM 102 Towson Seminar (4)

Student Consultation/Advising. I have been a member of 23 doctoral students’ dissertation

committees (11 currently). I have been program chair (dissertation chair) for three students, two

of them successfully completed and defended comprehensive examinations, and one student

graduated in December of 2016. I also consult with doctoral students for whom I am a committee

member (five overall, one currently; over 75 hours of consultation combined since 2013).

Inspired by my interest in seeing Masters in Education students succeed in implementing their

Action Research projects they propose in my EDUC 761 class, I have sponsored and mentored

three former students as they completed their projects in their capstone class (14 hours of

consultation since 2013).

Other Consulting

 Psychometric consultant Green Advantage, Falls Church, VA; Maryland Institute

of Emergency Medical Services Systems, Baltimore, MD.

 Statistical analysis consultant. Joyanna Silberg Ph.D. Sheppard Pratt Hospital,

Baltimore, MD.

 Program Evaluator Maryland Association for Resources for Family and Youth,

Baltimore, MD.

Program Evaluator Montgomery County Public Schools, Rockville, MD.

Scholarship
I function in two capacities as a scholar at Towson University: as a primary researcher

and as a consultant. In both cases I enjoy working collaboratively with colleagues both for my

own professional development, but also because the product of our work is enhanced by

integrating our different experiential backgrounds. Examples of publications and presentations

from all three areas, are found in the supporting materials, and listed in my Curriculum Vitae.

As a consultant, I am able to learn a tremendous amount from my colleagues while

helping them develop research projects and produce written products. I have consulted with

different College of Education faculty members for over 380 hours since 2013, producing

conference presentations, grants submitted, and publication. Outside the college and university I

have consulted with ten different researchers and agencies producing conference presentations,

grants submitted, and technical reports. With other non-COE faculty I have collaborated to

produce grant submissions and publication. Collectively this represents over 480 hours of

consultation since 2013.

As a measure of scholarly impact, Google Scholar provides citation metrics for scholarly

works which are below. Based on a total of scholarly works, I have had over 3100 citations of

works I have authored or co-authored, and 1400 since 2013 when I was tenured at Towson

University. Since 2013, I have 19 articles with at least 19 citations (h-index), and 27 with at least

citations (i10-index).
 Google Scholar Profile Citation indices as of 6/15/18 (N = 64 scholarly works):

Since
All 2013
Citations (Total number of all citations from articles) 3197 1418
h-index (Number of articles h, with at least h citations, e.g., I have 19
articles with at least 19 citations since 2013) 27 19
i10-index (Number of articles with at least ten citations) 34 27

Service
Below I summarize highlights of service accomplishments for both the profession and the

university. I believe I have met and exceeded expectations for service at the College,

Department, and Profession level. This semester I supplemented my University service by

serving on the Faculty Salary Committee. Supporting materials provide extended detail on my

service activities.

Professional

Reviewing

 Editorial Board member: Child Abuse and Neglect (over 50 articles reviewed)

 Ad-hoc reviewer: The Teacher Educator, Journal of General Internal Medicine,

Computers in the Schools, Journal of Interactive Online Learning, Journal of Research on

Adolescence

 APA Division 5: Conference Proposal Reviewer (2002-2016)

 AERA SIG-IT: Conference Proposal reviewer (2016)

University

University Committees/Consultation

IRB: Spring 2013-present (82 proposals reviewed)

 Faculty Consultation: I consulted with three non-COE faculty in the review period for a

total of three hours.

College Committees/Consultation
Faculty Research Professional Learning Community: Co-facilitated with Rebecca Shargel

Ed.D. since 2014. We have met approximately three times per year during COE-approved PLC

meeting times.

Faculty Consultation: I consulted with 23 COE faculty: 388 hours.

EDTL Department Committees: Action Research Fellows Committee (2007-2009),

Admissions Committee (2013-2017), Doctoral Program Committee (2013-2017), Merit

Committee Chair (2013-2017).

Doctoral Student Committees: members: 23 committees overall, 11 currently. I

consulted with advised five other students who did not include me on their committees. Total

doctoral student consulting: 615 hours.

Master’s in Education Faculty Sponsor: I mentored two M.Ed. students who developed

their Action Research project developed in my ISTC 685 class as they implemented their

projects in their capstone course: 10 hours.