Short Bio

Dr. Tom Murray is an Senior Research Fellow in the Computer Science Department at the University of Massachusetts Amherst. Currenlty his primary research is in the are of supporting social deliberative skills in online contexts. He has also done research in the areas of Cognitive Tools, Adaptive Computer Learning Environments, Online Collaboration, Ethics, and Knowledge Engineering. He is also publishes scholarly papers in the field of Integral Theory realted epistemology and applied philosophy. Murray has degrees in educational technology (EdD, MEd), computer science (MS), and physics (BS). He is on the editorial review boards of two international journals, the International Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Education, and at Integral Review as an Associate Editor.

Academic Bio (and see Curriculum Vitae)

Dr. Murray has been researching, publishing, consulting, and leading workshops on the subjects of online communities, intelligent tutoring system (ITS) authoring tools, simulation-based inquiry learning environments, adaptive hypermedia, cognitive tools, discourse ethics, and knowledge acquisition/representation for advanced technology instructional systems since 1985. He has directed a number of educational software projects in industry and in university/college research contexts. His projects include MetaLinks (adaptive hyperbooks), Eon (ITS authoring tools), SimForest (glass box simulation based learning environments for inquiry learning), and RASHI (tools scaffolding inquiry learning), Digital Newsroom (service learning project with college students mentoring inner city youth in creating a web site and newsletter by and for the youth of the city), and Perspegrity (a project on collaborative software supporting depth, integrity, perspective in on-line communication, collaboration, and decision making). Other areas of interest and publication include process-based learning metrics (ZPD), ITS ontologies, ITS interoperability and reusability, teacher professional development, distributed models of curriculum, software evaluation methods, example-based strategies for teaching concepts, and the representation of instructional strategies. In addition to his consulting and R&D activities, Murray has taught graduate and undergraduate courses at Hampshire College and the University of Massachusetts.  From 1998-2001 he founded and directed the Digital Design Center at Hampshire College, which supported student-centered projects in software and 'new media' areas.  Past experience includes working at the Center for Knowledge Communication (CKC), and the Scientific Reasoning Research Institute (SRRI) at the University of Massachusetts; and industry work designing intelligent multimedia training systems (Senior Software Engineer and Project Manager, Asea Brown Boveri PPL Laboratories).

Murray is a member of the Executive Council of the International Artificial Intelligence and Education Society and has been guest editor of several professional journal special issues. He is an Associate Editor of Integral Review journal. He has been an active participant in the IEEE Learning Technology Standards Committee  (LTSC, P1484)  Learning Objects Metadata Working Group (P1484.12).  He has co-lead conference workshops and tutorials on ITS authoring, the representation of teaching strategies, web-based ITSs, and interoperability and reusability in ITSs (at CSCL-07, AIED-99, ASCILITE-98, ITS-98, AIED-97, AAAI F-97 Symposium, ITS-96, AI&ED-95, ED-MEDIA-94, and AAAI-93). Conferences and journals for which Murray has served as a reviewer are listed in the CV.

Outside of R&D work, Murray is interested in conflict resolution methods on individual and community-wide scales, and is involved in various contemplative and improvisational movement practices (see the above link to Avocations and Inspirations). Murray is also on the Board or Directors (Leadership Council) of nonprofit Dance New England, and on the steering board of the Community for Integrative Learning and Action (CILA), a non-profit organization of Five College area faculty and associates interested in promoting the cultivation of contemplative, ethical, and spiritual dimensions of life into institutions of higher education.

[page last revised: June. 2016]