Sessional Instructor: Environmental Design Studio 1, Faculty of Design, Winter 2026-27

OCAD U International; Toronto; On-site; CAD 7,500 - 9,000; Part time

Job summary

OCAD University invites applications for a Winter 2026-27 Sessional Instructor to lead Environmental Design Studio 1 (1 credit) in the Faculty of Design. The appointment covers January 11, 2027 – April 11, 2027, with in-person sessions on Wednesdays.

The role emphasizes studio-based teaching, curriculum development, evaluation, and mentorship with strong emphasis on research-informed design, inclusive pedagogy, and adherence to REB processes.

Qualifications

• Demonstrated capacity for empathic, user-centered research across qualitative and quantitative methods.
• Experience with research ethics protocols and REB procedures.
• Experience designing for diverse human factors with equity and access as design requirements.
• Experience in interaction/UX design within professional or academic design.
• Ability to generate and test concepts against real user needs in iterative workflows.
• An MDes or higher is preferred; exceptions possible with relevant experience.
• Leadership in promoting a respectful and inclusive work and learning environment.

Responsibilities

• Course outline development and studio preparation for ENVIR-1007.
• Deliver lectures, critiques, grading and evaluations; provide timely feedback.
• Guide students through iterative, research-based design processes from analysis to prototyping.
• Draft or modify REB applications to support student research when needed.
• Maintain an accessible and inclusive studio environment and ensure health & safety compliance.

Skills

Empathic research

REB knowledge

Inclusive design

UX design

Iterative design

Education

Master's degree in design

Tools

Figma

Adobe XD

Job description

Sessional Instructor: Environmental Design Studio 1, Faculty of Design, Winter 2026-27 Job Code 3911 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-1007: Environmental Design Studio 1 (1 credit)
(Winter Semester: January 11th, 2027 – April 11th, 2027, Wednesdays 8:30-2:50pm; In-Person)

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

Visual language required to express creative ideas in two and three dimensions is introduced. Organizational principles and creative processes are employed through a variety of tools, techniques and materials in environmental design. Emphasis is placed on the creation of three-dimensional artifacts, on the two-dimensional drawing techniques required to represent these artifacts, and on the iteration between dimensions required to advance a comprehensive and compelling environmental design proposition. Prototyping, freehand, hard-line paraline and perspective drawing are explored. Through observation and evaluation of the designed world, projects are situated in their historical and contemporary contexts.

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.

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).

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.