[Hiring] Continuing Education Instructor, Children’s Book: Portfolio and Professional Practice @Rhode Island School of Design

Role Description

RISD Continuing Education instructors plan, organize, teach, and provide feedback to promote and direct student learning in keeping with the institutional learning-centered values and in a manner that meets the essential competencies of an artist and designer. Our instructors respond to students in a timely manner and communicate with the discipline and division via college-provided tools and resources. We welcome instructors whose teaching experience addresses historically underrepresented communities.

The successful candidate should be prepared to teach asynchronous online courses to a diverse group of students from a range of disciplines, through online content development, including:

• Recorded video demonstrations and/or lectures provided weekly for the course duration.
• Develop culturally diverse syllabi for studio and seminar courses.
• Provide weekly feedback to student work that models constructive criticism.

We are looking for instructors whose specialty is in children’s book illustration and professional-based topics in the field. The successful candidate will be able to teach topics including:

• Writing book proposals.
• Submission guidelines.
• How to seek representation.
• What makes a well-rounded portfolio.
• What it is like to work with an editor on a book project.
• A variety of publishing approaches, such as self-publishing and traditional publishing.

As the final course in the Children’s Book Illustration Microcredential, the instructor will:

• Teach students how to create and further develop the content in one’s illustration portfolio.
• Teach how to edit the body of work and how to present it to the picture book publishing industry.
• Teach skills to scan traditional work and digitally optimize work for online portfolios, marketing, and submissions.

The ideal candidate is a published children’s book illustrator with experience teaching adult students professional development.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree required.
• A track record of professional experience at companies successfully doing related work, and/or a robust, creative, intellectually and critically engaged design or studio practice.
• Teaching experience, including the ability to create syllabi and lesson plans, and how to tie those to learning outcomes.
• Ability to accept and act upon constructive feedback from course evaluations by students and staff.
• Strong interpersonal, communication, and organizational skills.
• Ability to meet RISD’s technology requirements.
• Experience leading classes and critiques that model inclusivity in an environment of diverse learners.
• Ability to tailor instruction to meet the needs of students with a wide range of pre-existing skills.
• In-depth knowledge of Children's Book Illustration and Publishing.

Requirements

• Teaching experience in a collegiate or adult education setting that addresses underrepresented communities.
• Online teaching experience, or experience utilizing an LMS.
• MFA preferred or equivalent in established professional practice in area of study.
• Lifelong learning orientation with demonstrated interest in learning about new developments in their area of study.
• Ability to empathically relate to a wide range of student perspectives and maturely handle interpersonal issues that may arise.
• Experience in course content development, including video creation of demonstrations and lectures.

Documents Needed to Apply

• Resume, including a URL link for your professional portfolio.
• Statement of interest preferred.

Work Schedule

• Now hiring for the Winter 2027 semester, course dates: 1/11/2027 - 2/21/2027.

Work Modality

• Remote, Asynchronous.

Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please upload all required documents.

The successful candidate will be required to meet our pre-employment background screening requirements.

RISD recognizes diversity and inclusivity as fundamental to its learning community and integral to an art and design education. We welcome candidates whose experience has prepared them to contribute to our commitment to diversity and excellence. RISD is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, genetics, or any other protected characteristic as established by law.