Dr. James Ford, alumnus of the Gevirtz School, has been appointed as Director of Summer Sessions at UC Santa Barbara. Summer Sessions provide students with additional opportunities to take courses in departments impacted by enrollment growth, and helps them to complete requirements and graduate in a timely manner. During seven sessions of varying length (from the end of June to mid-September), Summer Sessions offers over 600 courses, including online courses, and works with faculty and departments to develop unique learning experiences in special courses and programs well suited to the summer term. Summer Sessions makes it possible for students to get a head start and to make progress toward their degree year-round, with financial aid and housing available. Each year over 7,500 students come to UCSB for Summer Sessions.
Dr. Ford got his Ph.D. from the Department of Education at UC Santa Barbara in 2013. His thesis was “Course Management System Interaction Analysis: A Study of Current Adopters of an Established Course Management System.” He had previously received his M.A. in Technical Communication and B.A. in English from Texas Tech University. First appointed as Associate Director in 2014, Ford served as Interim Director of Summer Sessions from March 2016 to May 2017. He previously worked for six years in Instructional Technology positions in the College of Letters and Science and the Gevirtz Graduate School of Education.