Institute Faculty

Kristen Betts

Kristen Betts

Clinical Professor of Higher Education, Innovation & Learning, Drexel University

Kristen Betts is a Clinical Professor of Higher Education, Innovation & Learning in the School of Education at Drexel University. Kristen has over 25 years of experience serving in key leadership positions within private, public, and for-profit institutions as a Chief Academic Officer, Senior Director of e-Learning, Director of Online & Blended Learning, and Director of EdD and MS programs. Kristen has completed certificate programs and courses on AI and Generative AI with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cornell University, Maven, and the Association of College & University Educators (ACUE). Kristen has served as a Fulbright Specialist and Middle States Commission on Higher Education peer evaluator. She has designed and taught courses, webinars, and workshops with the Online Learning Consortium, Academic Impressions, and United States Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC). She is a grant reviewer for the Hong Kong Research Grants Council focusing on digital innovation, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Generative AI, online education, curriculum design, creativity, and professional development. Kristen is the recipient of the Christian R. & Mary F. Lindback Award for Distinguished Teaching, Pearson CITE Award for Excellence in Online Administration, and Drexel University’s School of Education Teaching Excellence Award and Research Excellence Award. She has also served as a key member on teams that have received national awards from NASPA, NACADA, OLC, Anthology, and USDLA for innovative transdisciplinary programming and pedagogical innovation. Kristen is actively engaged in research, publishing, and presenting in areas related to online learning, innovative pedagogical practices, neuroeducation, Universal Design for Learning, student success, and professional development. At Drexel, Kristen teaches in the EdD Program in Educational Leadership & Management, MS in Higher Education Leadership, MS in Creativity & Innovation, MS in Learning Technologies, and Graduate Certificate in Mind, Brain & Learning. She also serves as an Advisory Board member of the Freddie Reisman Center (FRC) for Translational Research in Creativity and Motivation.


Areas of Expertise

  • Digital Learning
  • Evidence-based pedagogical practice
  • Faculty development
  • Instructional and learning experience design
  • Institutional change
  • Online teaching and learning
  • Pedagogical applications of AI
  • Universal design for learning