Rate My Professor Ronald Beghetto

Ronald A. Beghetto served as Professor of Educational Psychology in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut, where he also directed Innovation House and coordinated the graduate program in Cognition, Instruction, Learning, and Technology. He joined UConn in 2014 from the University of Oregon, where he had been Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Associate Professor of Education Studies. At Oregon, he earned the Ersted Crystal Apple Award in 2006, the university's highest teaching honor for early-career faculty. Beghetto holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Indiana University, with a specialization in Learning, Cognition, and Instruction. His career has focused on fostering creativity within educational contexts, emphasizing creative thought and action in classrooms and beyond.

Beghetto's research specializations include the psychology of human creativity, particularly mini-c and everyday creativity, classroom environments that support creative development, and more recently, the role of generative AI in possibility thinking. Key publications encompass 'Beyond Big and Little: The Four-C Model of Creativity' (2009, with James C. Kaufman), 'Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom' (2010), 'Killing Ideas Softly?: The Promise and Perils of Creativity in the Classroom' (2013), 'Theories of Creativity' (2010), and 'Classroom Contexts for Creativity' (2014). He received the ALD Faculty of the Year Award (2015) and Provost’s Recognition for Excellence in Teaching at UConn, along with the American Psychological Association's Rudolf Arnheim Award (2018) for outstanding achievement in the psychology of aesthetics, creativity, and the arts, and the Daniel E. Berlyne Award (2008). Beghetto serves as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Creative Behavior and is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Society for the Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, and the International Society for the Study of Creativity and Innovation. He has provided keynotes, workshops, and training internationally for K-12 schools, districts, and higher education on creativity and innovation, and advised organizations such as the LEGO Foundation and Cartoon Network. His work has earned recognition in the Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings.