Andrew Fedders is a Teaching Professor in the Department of Education and Teacher Education Program. His primary teaching duties are in the Education Specialist Credential Program for both Mild/Moderate Support Needs and Extensive Support Needs. His teaching covers a depth and breadth of topics in special education, including communication skills instruction, Applied Behavior Analysis, Explicit Instruction and Direct Instruction, Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports, Inclusive Programming, Special Education Policy, and the Individualized Education Program.
Dr. Fedders’s wide range of experiences in the field of special education have prepared to teach the next generation of special educators. Aside from working directly with individuals with disabilities, their families, or other stakeholders in special education since 2001, Dr. Fedders has done research focusing on evidence-based practices, systematic instruction, teacher education, beginning teacher supports, and the use of technology in teaching learning. In addition to these areas, he is interested in research on inclusion, behavioral interventions, induction and professional development for special education teachers, and a range of topics in education and other issues related to the lives of people with disabilities.
He has worked in special education for over 25 years. After a career as a special education teacher for students with Extensive Support Needs, he completed his PhD in Education, with an emphasis in Special Education, Disabilities, and Risk Studies, in 2011 at UCSB. His past roles in the Department of Education include, Coordinator of the Education Specialist Credential Program (2011-2019), Director of the Teacher Education Program (2017-2021), and Chair of the Department of Education (2024-2026).