Kristen Betts (Armstrong Atlantic State University)

Dr. Kristen Betts was appointed on July 1, 2011 as Armstrong Atlantic State University’s first Director of Online Learning. In this position, Dr. Betts is leading innovative initiatives with Academic Affairs, Information Technology Services, and the University System of Georgia to develop new online and blended programs including certificates and undergraduate and graduate degrees. She is also leading the collaborative development of a new Center for Online Learning. Prior to coming to Armstrong, Dr. Betts served as the Senior Director for eLearning at Drexel University. In this position, Dr. Betts actively led innovative online and blended program initiatives across Drexel’s 13 colleges and schools and the Center for Graduate Studies in Sacramento, CA which included over 90 online and blended programs, 8,000 students, 500 online faculty, and approximately $70 million in revenue. She served as the Chair of the Online Learning Council (OLC) that included 90 members from across the University. While at Drexel University, Dr. Betts was the founding Director of the blended EdD Program in Educational Leadership & Management for the Philadelphia campus. She was also the founding Director of the online Master of Science in Higher Education (MSHE) Program which grew from 26 students to over 250 students in less than five years. Dr. Betts was actively involved in leading programs and campus initiatives that received distinguished national and international awards including: 2008 Best Practices Award in Distance Learning Programming from the United States Distance Learning Association (USDLA); 2010 Sloan-C Excellence in Institution-Wide Online Education; Grand Bronze Medal Award and Gold Award for the 2011 NASPA Excellence Awards; and the 2011 Blackboard Collaborate™ Hall of Fame Award for Excellence in Collaboration. Dr. Betts is a Quality Matters certified peer and master reviewer. She serves on several national and international advisory boards and serves as a conference reviewer for several national associations. She is a reviewer for the Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks (JALN), Journal for Online Learning and Teaching (JOLT), Journal of Online Pedagogy, Course Design (IJOPCD), and EQ Review. Dr. Betts also presents nationally/internationally and has been a keynote speaker at conferences and government-supported events in Sweden, South Korea, and across the United States.

Recent & Select Publications:

Betts, K. S. (2010). Bringing work-integrated learning into the classroom through learning simulation. Journal of Cooperative Education & Internships, 44(1), 9-22. ISSN: 1933-2130. http://www.ceiainc.org/journal.asp?PageID=214

Betts, K., & Lynch, W. (2010). Online education: Meeting educational and workforce needs through flexible and quality degree programs. iJournal 24(72). California Community Colleges. http://www.ijournalccc.com/articles/node/72

Betts, K., & Lanza-Gladney, M. (2010). Academic advising: Ten strategies to increase student engagement and retention by personalizing the online education experience through online human touch, Academic Advising Today, 31(1). National Academic Advising Association (NACADA). http://www.nacada.ksu.edu/AAT/documents/33-1.pdf

Betts, K., Hartman, K., & Oxholm, C. (2010). Re-examining & repositioning higher education: 20 economic and demographic factors driving online and blended program enrollments. Journal of Asynchronous Learning Networks 9(1). The Sloan Consortium. ISSN: 1541-2806. http://www.aln.org/publications/jaln/index.asp

Betts, K. S. (2009). Charting new frontiers: A conceptual framework for online students in Drexel University's master of science in higher education graduate co-op. Journal of Cooperative Education & Internships, 43(1), 17-31. ISSN: 1933-2130. http://www.ceiainc.org/journal.asp?PageID=230&Action=Current&issue=1

Betts, K., Lewis, M., Dressler, A., & Svensson, L. (2009). Optimizing curricula and learning simulation to support a quinary career development model. Asian-Pacific Journal of Cooperative Education, 10(2), 99-119. ISSN: 1175-2882. http://apjce.org/volume_10/apjce_10_2_99_119.pdf

Betts, K. S. (2009). Lost in translation: Importance of effective communication in online education. Online Journal of Distance Education Administrators, 12(2). http://www.westga.edu/~distance/ojdla/summer122/betts122

Betts, K. S., Urias, D., Betts, K., & Chavez, J. (2009). Higher education and shifting U.S. demographics: Need for visible career paths, professional development, succession planning & commitment to diversity. Academic Leadership On-Line Journal 7(2). ISSN: 1533-7812. http://www.academicleadership.org/emprical_research/623.shtml

Betts, K. S. (2009). Online human touch (OHT) training and support: A conceptual framework to increase faculty and adjunct faculty engagement, connectivity, and retention in online education, Part 2. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 5(1), 29-48. ISSN: 1558-9528 http://jolt.merlot.org/vol5no1/betts_0309.htm

Betts, K. S. (2008). Online human touch (OHT) instruction and programming: A conceptual framework to increase online student engagement and retention in online education, Part 1. Journal of Online Learning and Teaching, 4(3), 399-418. ISSN: 1558-9528. http://jolt.merlot.org/vol4no3/betts_0908.htm