Dr Michael Murray

Senior Teaching Fellow

Civil and Environmental Engineering

Contact

Personal statement

I joined Strathclyde in January 1998 (EPSRC Grant Research Assistant) and secured a lectureship post in 2000. I gained a PhD in 2003 and this brought to a close a 23 year educational journey of part-time and full-time studies. On leaving secondary school with no formal qualifications (1980) I embarked on a 4 year apprenticeship as a plumbing and heating engineer and subsequently worked for a further two years applying my craft in domestic and industrial settings. Thereupon, I lectured (plumbing and building studies) in three Further Education colleges (1986-1992) before embarking on full time studies in construction management (BSc (Hons) 1st Class, Napier University, 1992) and (MSc, Heriot Watt University, 1996). Between 1996 and starting at Strathclyde in 1998 I lectured at the Robert Gordon University and Fife College.

I am currently a Senior Teaching Fellow in the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering).I completed a Certificate in Education (Cert-Ed) in 1992 and a PG Certificate Learning and Teaching in HE (PGCLTHE) in 2016. I have been a Senior Fellow of the HEA (PR234083) since 2021.

Since 2013 I have been an active in pedagogical research and have published in several journals (i.e. Teaching in Higher Education; European Journal of Engineering Education, Higher Education Pedagogies; Industry & Higher Education) and have disseminated my scholarship and research  through the Strathclyde  Sharing Practice in Effective Learning & teaching (SPELT) webpage (https://spelt.strath.ac.uk/display/SPELT/Faculty+of+Engineering) and at QAA Scotland; Advance HE, and Engineering Education conferences:

Murray, M. (2022). An Industry-Student Mentoring Scheme 2010-2022, Engineering Professors Council Crucible Project, 16th February, Session 1: Collaborating with industry for teaching and learning, Video3470518334, http://epc.ac.uk/recent-events/    & Toolkit available (Members Portal) @  http://epc.ac.uk/crucible-project-toolkit/

Murray, M., Hendry, G, & McQuade, R. (2019). Workplace Experience: Co-curricular Learning for Undergraduates 2012-2019. In, New approaches to engineering higher education in practice, The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and Engineering Professors’ Council (EPC). pp 36-39, http://epc.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/12/New-Approaches-Proceedings-Nov19.pdf

 

I am proposer and co-chair for an International Symposium of Engineering Education (ISEE), to be held 1-2nd September 2022 at Strathclyde, https://www.strath.ac.uk/engineering/iseeconference/

Back to staff profile

Area of Expertise

External Examiner

University College of Estate Management: External Examiner, MSc Construction Management programme, October 2020- October 2024.

Cork Institute of Technology, Ireland: External Examiner, BSc (Hons) Construction Project Management, Faculty of Engineering & Science, 2012-2016

University of Central England, Birmingham: External Examiner MSc Construction Project Management, School of Property, Construction and Planning, 2006-2009

Member of external Course Validation Panel: MSc Construction Project Management, School of the Built Environment, Napier University, Edinburgh, June 2004

Peer Reviewer (Journals)

  • European Journal of Engineering Education, 2016 onward.
  • Civil Engineering and Environmental Systems, 2017 onward.
  • Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 2017 onward.
  • International Journal of Sustainability in Higher Education- 2018 onward.
  • Higher Education, Skills and Work-Based Learning-2018 onward.

Prize And Awards

Short Listed- Going the Extra Mile, Strathclyde Student Union Teaching Excellence Awards (TEAs)-
Recipient
18/5/2023
University of Strathclyde Teaching Awards-Nominated (Long Listed) Most Enthusiastic university Teacher
Recipient
15/5/2019
University of Strathclyde Teaching Awards-Winner-Most Innovative University Teacher & Shortlisted Best Teacher in Faculty of Engineering.
Recipient
11/5/2018
University of Strathclyde Teaching Awards-Shortlisted Best Teacher in Faculty of Engineering
Recipient
17/5/2017
University of Strathclyde Teaching Awards-Shortlisted (5 academics) Best Overall University Teacher
Recipient
14/5/2015
University of Strathclyde teaching Awards-Winner-Best Teacher in Faculty Engineering
Recipient
7/5/2014

More prizes and awards

Back to staff profile

Publications

Construction and engineering Higher Education : the role of pracademics in recoupling classical experiential educational norms
Forster Alan M, Pilcher Nick, Murray Mike, Tennant Stuart, Craig Nigel, Galbrun Laurent
Professional Development for Practitioners in Academia Pracademia (2023) (2023)
Opportunities for the development of professional skills for undergraduate civil and environmental engineers
Murray Mike, Pytharouli Stella, Douglas John
European Journal of Engineering Education Vol 47, pp. 793-813 (2022)
https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2022.2031897
"I read and read, and glowered; then read and read again" (Thomas Telford) : Reading for a degree in civil engineering 2009-2022
Murray Mike
Proceedings of the 8th International Symposium for Engineering Education (2022) (2022)
An Industry-Student Mentoring Scheme
Murray Mike
(2022)
An industry-student mentoring scheme, 2010-2022
Murray Mike
The Crucible Project (2022)
Role requirements in academic recruitment for construction and engineering
Pilcher Nick, Galbrun Laurent, Craig Nigel, Murray Mike, Forster Alan M, Tennant Stuart
European Journal of Engineering Education Vol 46, pp. 247-265 (2021)
https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2020.1725451

More publications

Back to staff profile

Research Interests

My PhD studies and early publications have focused on construction management topics. However, since 2010, I have found a comfortable home within what I would consider to be ‘active’ pedagogical studies, grounded through my immersion in teaching and learning activities. My personal ontological (reality is subjective) and epistemological (knowledge creation is socially constructed) beliefs shape my approach to learning, teaching and research activities. Recent Publications:

Murray, M., Pytharouli, S & Douglas, J. (2022).  Opportunities for the Development of Professional Skills for Undergraduate Civil and Environmental Engineers, European Journal of Engineering Education DOI/MS ID: 10.1080/03043797.2022.2031897 / 210690459

Murray, M. (2022). An Industry-Student Mentoring Scheme 2010-2022, Engineering Professors Council Crucible Project, 16th February, Session 1: Collaborating with industry for teaching and learning, Video3470518334, http://epc.ac.uk/recent-events/    & Toolkit available (Members Portal) @ http://epc.ac.uk/crucible-project-toolkit/

Pilcher, N., Galbrun, L., Craig, N., Murray, M., Forster, A., Tennant, S. (2021).'Role requirements in Academic Recruitment for Construction & Engineering’ European Journal of Engineering Education, 46(2):247-265.https://doi.org/10.1080/03043797.2020.1725451.

Professional Activities

Collaborating with Industry for teaching & Learning in Engineering Education
Speaker
4/9/2023
International Symposium of Engineering Education (ISEE) 2022
Chair
1/9/2022
Centre for Engineering Education, UCL, Engineering Round table session on the priorities for Engineering Education Research in the UK.
Speaker
28/6/2022
Crucible Project
Speaker
16/2/2022
External Examiner, MSc Construction Management programme,University College of Estate Management
Examiner
20/10/2020
The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and Engineering Professors’ Council (EPC) joint conference on New Approaches to Engineering Higher Education,
Speaker
30/11/2019

More professional activities

Projects

Pathways for Equal access to the Energy Research Sector
Beattie, Stewart (Principal Investigator) Switzer, Christine (Principal Investigator) Kremer, Yannick (Principal Investigator) Murray, Michael (Principal Investigator)
Ensuring equality and diversity in higher education begins with assembling a diverse learning community. Graduate Apprenticeships were set up to create new pathways into engineering for people from different backgrounds. While the Graduate Apprenticeship in Civil Engineering (GA-CE) diversified the number of stakeholders involved in recruitment and our GA employers are also committed to providing learning opportunities for a wide spectrum of society, there is an apparent lack of diversity in our GA-CE programme, which reflects a wider sector issue in GA programmes. This project seeks to identify the key factors affecting recruitment to the GA and develop recommendations to increase diversity in recruitment of future GA cohorts. The student intern, will conduct interviews and focus groups with employers to characterise the recruitment experience from all angles and inform development of initiatives to improve diversity in future GA applicant pools.

£11,016.61 (100% fEC) IGNITE Network (Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI)+ FA2 project,
10-Jan-2023 - 10-Jan-2023
Exploring the use of Chat GPT by Engineering Employers: Informing Authentic Assessment in Higher Education Engineering
Murray, Michael (Principal Investigator) Flockhart, Gordon (Principal Investigator) MacLachlan, Ross (Principal Investigator) Adams, Richard (Principal Investigator) Magueijo, Vitor (Principal Investigator) Connolly, Stephen (Principal Investigator) Hasty, William (Principal Investigator)
Strathclyde Intern Funding:
01-Jan-2023 - 03-Jan-2023
Enhancing Equality & Diversity in the Graduate Apprenticeship (Civil & Environmental Engineering) cohorts at the University of Strathclyde
Beattie, Stewart (Principal Investigator) Switzer, Christine (Principal Investigator) Kremer, Yannick (Principal Investigator) Murray, Michael (Principal Investigator)
Internal QAA Resilient Learning Communities (2020-2023) award £1000
01-Jan-2023 - 01-Jan-2023
Student Transitions through and/or beyond Strathclyde (to progress the QAA Student Transitions Enhancement Theme within Strathclyde). Transition to employment-Alumni stories about dyslexia from the Civil Engineering and Law disciplines.
Murray, Michael (Principal Investigator) Murray, Frances (Principal Investigator) Paton, Steven (Principal Investigator)
The proposed pilot project seeks to establish a benchmark for examining student transition to graduate (Alumni) employment with a particular focus on graduates with disabilities. For the pilot project we will focus exclusively on recent Alumni (up to 7 years post-graduation) in the civil engineering and law disciplines, who have dyslexia. Five graduates from each discipline will be targeted for interview and the primary data will be captured using a critical incident storytelling methodology. These life stories will chart the landscape through the student transition from university to (and through) employment and will seek to uncover rich personal testimonies that document the opportunities and barriers faced by Alumni with dyslexia. The output will inform academia and employers about the relationship between graduate attributes and equality and diversity issues.
03-Jan-2017 - 01-Jan-2017
Student Transitions through and/or beyond Strathclyde (to progress the QAA Student Transitions Enhancement Theme within Strathclyde). Communities of Practice: A Case of civil engineering students in post-summer placement transition through university.
Murray, Michael (Principal Investigator)
To progress the QAA Student Transitions Enhancement Theme within Strathclyde. Applying the concept of legitimate peripheral participation (Lave and Wenger 1991) to the study of student summer placement learning and transition (return to university) within industrial and academic community of practices.
30-Jan-2016 - 30-Jan-2017
ENTICE - ENhancing Transitions In Civil Engineering (HEA Student Transitions)
Ferguson, Neil (Principal Investigator) Bertram, Doug (Co-investigator) Kenny, Michael (Co-investigator) Murray, Michael (Co-investigator) Switzer, Christine (Co-investigator)
11-Jan-2015 - 30-Jan-2015

More projects

Back to staff profile

Contact

Dr Michael Murray
Senior Teaching Fellow
Civil and Environmental Engineering

Email: m.d.murray@strath.ac.uk
Tel: Unlisted