Sessional Instructor: Digital Design For Environmental Design, Faculty of Design, Winter 2026-27

OCAD U International; Toronto; On-site; CAD 6,800 - 8,300; Part time

Benefits offered by this job

7% in lieu of benefits

Job summary

OCAD University invites applications for a sessional instructor to teach Digital Design For Environmental Design (ENVR-1005) in Winter 2026-27. The course focuses on computer-assisted 3D design, 2D/3D modeling, and digital fabrication in an in-person setting.

Applicants should hold an MDes or higher (or comparable professional experience), with strong research, prototyping, and equity-centered design expertise. Teaching in a studio format and familiarity with REB processes are preferred.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated empathic, user-centered research experience
• Familiarity with REB processes and research ethics protocols
• Experience designing for diverse user groups with equity and access in design
• Direct experience in interaction, service, or UX design
• Experience iterative, research-driven design processes with prototyping

Responsibilities

• Develop and deliver course content for ENVR-1005 Digital Design for Environmental Design
• Prepare studio materials, deliver lectures, run critiques, and evaluate student work
• Guide students through user analysis, prototyping, and design development
• Ensure health and safety, and uphold inclusive studio environment

Skills

Empathic research

User-centered design

Inclusion & equity

UX/Interaction design

Prototyping tools

Education

MDes or advanced degree preferred

Tools

Figma

Adobe XD

Job description

Sessional Instructor: Digital Design For Environmental Design, Faculty of Design, Winter 2026-27

Job Code 3910 Department Faculty of Design Employment Type Temporary/Contract

OCAD University acknowledges the ancestralterritories of the Mississaugas of the Credit, the Haudenosaunee, the Anishinaabeg and the Huron-Wendat, who are the original owners and custodians of the land on which we live, work, and create.

OCAD University , Canada’s largest and oldest art and design university, is a vibrant community of bold, curious and compassionate artists, designers and scholars who are imagining and creating a joyful, equitable and sustainable world. The University is an internationally renowned hub for art, design, digital media, research, innovation and creativity, and arts administration. It embraces collaborative and interdisciplinary approaches to change-making through art, design-thinking curriculum and research, making OCAD U a local, regional, national and global leader in art and design.

Itisanexciting time to join the OCAD U community as the University is at a key stage in its institutional transformation, with the implementation of its Academic and Strategic Plan and guiding principles — driving positive impact; decolonization, indigenization and equity; environmental sustainability; emerging as a vibrant hub; student centered approaches; innovation in learning teaching and research; and financial stewardship.

The Faculty of Design invites applications for the following anticipated course offering in the Winter 2026-27 academic year:

ENVR-1005: Digital Design For Environmental Design (0.5 credit)

(Winter Semester: January 11th, 2027 – April 11th, 2027, Fridays 11:50-2:50pm; In-Person)

COURSE DESCRIPTION

This studio course introduces students to computer-assisted 3D design concepts and a range of digital technologies including 2D, 3D modeling, and digital fabrication techniques such as laser cutting and printing. Practical exercises advance technical skills and are combined with thematic proposals that address creativity, workflow and the design process. Creative exploration, ideation and design development are examined through parametric considerations, where students explore generative processes through an integration of both digital and traditional strategies. Students will begin to develop a critical understanding of the role digital design occupies within current design discourse and examine the opportunities and challenges that accompany the emergence of digital technologies.

RESPONSIBILITIES

Teaching and teaching-related responsibilities may include but are not limited to: course outline development, studio preparation and delivery inclusive of lectures, critiques, grading, mid-term evaluations and final evaluations/reviews; guiding students through iterative, research-based design processes from user analysis through prototyping; providing timely and constructive feedback on studio work; and maintaining an accessible and inclusive studio environment. Responsibilities may also include drafting or modifying a course-based Research Ethics Board (REB) application as needed to support student research activities. Responsibility for health & safety and meeting academic and curricular requirements and deadlines is also expected.

QUALIFICATIONS

Note: Human Centered Design, as approached in this course, draws on inductive research methods adapted from the social sciences (e.g., observation, interviewing, and other empathic techniques), alongside participatory approaches such as co-design, but remains oriented toward a design outcome. Candidates should be able to translate research insight into the design of products, services, systems, or interfaces, not only to conduct research.

• A demonstrated capacity for empathic, user-centered research, including engagement with users and design partners, in support of design research and design as research, in both qualitative and quantitative approaches.
• Demonstrated experience and expertise with research ethics protocols, including familiarity with institutional Research Ethics Board (REB) procedures and requirements.
• Experience designing for the full range of human diversity, including ability, language, culture, gender, and age, with equity and access treated as design requirements rather than considerations added after the fact.
• A current body of work within the professional design and/or academic disciplines as it relates to the course description(s), with direct experience in interaction design, user experience design, or a closely related human-centered design practice.
• Experience with, and aptitude for, highly iterative, process-oriented work without the restriction of fixed outcomes or expectations, including the ability to generate and test concepts against real user needs, feasibility, and viability.
• An MDes or more advanced degree is preferred; exceptions may be considered for candidates with equivalent professional experience and expertise.
• Demonstrated leadership and experience in promoting a respectful and inclusive work and learning environment for students, staff, and Faculty.

In addition, a candidate should have:

• Familiarity with prototyping tools and methods appropriate to the breadth of industrial, product, service, and experience design, which may include digital interface tools (e.g., Figma, Adobe XD, or comparable platforms), physical and material prototyping, and multi-sensory or cross-sensory prototyping methods engaging modalities beyond the visual.
• Experience with user research and synthesis methods such as contextual inquiry, usability testing, or co-design.
• Experience navigating institutional research ethics processes beyond the course level, such as multi-site or partner-institution REB applications.
• Current professional practice or industry connections in interaction, service, or UX design.
• Experience integrating socio-cultural and technological trends into studio-based design projects.

Experience teaching or mentoring in a studio-based, critique-driven format.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT

Sessional appointments are fixed-term annual contracts. Sessional compensation includes a per-course pay scale with salary level of $7,508.00 (per 0.5 credit course) plus 7% in lieu of benefits and vacation pay, per the provisions of the Employment Standards Act. These positions are subject to budgetary approval and satisfactory enrolment levels.

Applications should include:

A letter of intent stating the candidate’s interests in the areas of teaching by identifying relevant courses above;

A statement of teaching philosophy that responds to the profile of the position;

A link or web address to your digital portfolio of recent and current work/publications (if applicable)

And the names and contact information of three references.

Please upload all five (5) components (including the URL to work) as one PDF. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Please name your upload: FirstName_LastName-Job Code

Please apply no later than Monday, November 9th, 2026 11:59pm.

Applicants must be eligible to work in Canada for any employer (with a valid work or study permit, SIN and Canadian bank account).

If you require application support, please contact the People & Culture Office. Please note that People & Culture cannot update you on the status of your application as these searches are decentralized to their respective Faculty offices. You will only be contacted if you are shortlisted for an interview. If the posting is advertised, we are still accepting applications.

As an institution committed to art, design, digital media and related scholarship, OCAD University (OCAD U) recognizes the profound and essential value that diversity brings to the creation, reception and circulation of creative practices and discourse. OCAD U understands that valuing diverse creative practices and forms of knowledge are essential to and enrich the institution’s core mission and vision as an art and design university with a local and global scope.

As an employer committed to employment equity, we encourage applications from members of equity-deserving communities including women, racialized and Indigenous persons,persons with disabilities, and persons of all sexual orientations and gender identities/expressions.

We encourage members of designated equity-deserving groups to self-identify within the voluntary Applicant Questionnaire.

In order to alleviate the under-representation of racialized and Indigenous faculty, priority in hiring will be given to qualified racialized and Indigenous persons who self-identify as such in the application process. This initiative is a special program under the Ontario Human Rights Code.

All qualified persons are encouraged to apply; however, Canadians and permanent residents of Canada will be given priority. While we thank all candidates for their interest, only those short-listed will be contacted.

Key learning topics: Digital Fabrication 3D Modelling Smart and Sustainable Design Empathetic Soquence Design User Experience Design Thinking Research – Community Engagement – Inclusivity – Entrepreneurship.