Continuing Education Instructor, Children’s Book: Portfolio and Professional Practice

CE Overview

RISD Continuing Education functions within the larger context of RISD, an institution with an unparalleled reputation for producing highly-skilled, successful, and internationally renowned creative practitioners. With more than 100 years of expertise nurturing critical making, thinking, and innovation in art and design we facilitate personal and professional development by engaging students in sustained exploration and learning in the creative disciplines. With a commitment to centering inclusivity, diversity and equity in executing key responsibilities, 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 essential competencies of artists and designers.

Job 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. Candidates should be prepared to develop culturally diverse syllabi for studio and seminar courses, and weekly feedback to student work that models constructive criticism that encourages students to grow creatively and intellectually.    

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, and 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 will need to be discussed as well. 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, how to edit the body of work, and how to present it to the picture book publishing industry. Additionally, the instructor will 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. 

Required Knowledge/Skills/Experience

• 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, as evidenced by recognition in publications, commissions, exhibitions, awards and/or collaborative projects

• 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 students with a wide range of pre-existing skills

• In-depth knowledge of Children's Book Illustration and Publishing

Preferred Knowledge/Skills/Experience

• 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 

Union

No

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.