Quarterly Lecturer, Undergraduate Design Program

The Stanford d.school is growing its teaching community with quarterly lecturers for the introductory courses of the undergraduate Design Core: Design 1, Design 11 and Design 60, required courses for design majors where students first build their foundations. The BS design degree is an interdisciplinary engineering program. It combines an engineering foundation, an integrated Design Core, a methods depth (Physical Design & Manufacturing, AI & Digital User Experience, or Human Behavior and Multi-Stakeholder Research) and a domain focus (Designing for the Planet, Health, Social Impact, or Biological Futures), ending in a capstone project. The role A part-time, quarterly teaching appointment: 25% time for 12 weeks, ideally continuing across multiple years. New hires start with a trial quarter co-teaching alongside a veteran instructor, then move from co-instructor to lead instructor. Trial quarter commitments include onboarding and planning meetings with the lead instructor in the two weeks before the quarter; attending every class session for your course; fully leading 2–4 sessions; weekly teaching team meetings; curating course materials and synthesizing student and teaching-team reflections; and taking part in d.school teaching community events. Fully in person; not remote or hybrid. The courses Each meets 2–3 times a week for about three hours of in-person instruction. - Design 1: Introduction to Design (4 units). An experiential, collaborative introduction to the skills, methods and mindsets of human-centered design, through short team projects with on-campus partners. - Design 11: Visual Thinking (4 units). A foundational "build to think" class: rapid visualization and prototyping across three design challenges, in the physical and digital world. - Design 60: Visual Expression (4 units). The elements and principles of design common to the visual arts, through theory, analysis and practice; the foundational visual course for design majors. They also want to hear about other Design Core courses you could teach as your involvement grows (for example Design 101, 121 or 141). Who they're looking for - 5–10+ years of professional experience in a design field; not an entry-level or recent-graduate role. - Some teaching, coaching or facilitation experience. - Availability for at least one quarter a year, over multiple years. Application materials - Cover letter: why you, why now, what draws you to teaching, and which Core courses you could teach. - CV or resume. - A teaching sample (syllabus, curriculum sample or short video); if you haven't taught formally, a portfolio or work sample that shows how you communicate, facilitate and mentor. - Student reviews, teaching evaluations, or at least one reference who can speak to your teaching or mentoring. Compensation and logistics About $7,000–$10,000 per quarter, depending on experience and course. Most current instructors also work full- or part-time elsewhere. The role is in person only and the pay doesn't support relocation, so candidates in or near the Bay Area are most likely. Not benefits-eligible. Timeline - October 16: Winter Quarter application deadline (appointments for Winter 2027). - December 31: Spring Quarter application deadline (appointments for Spring 2027). - Applications after the deadlines are welcome for future consideration. How to apply Send applications and questions to both Stacey Gray, d.school Chief of Staff (stacey@dschool.stanford.edu), and Kelly Schmutte, Director of Undergraduate Studies, Design (kschmutte@dschool.stanford.edu), with the subject line "APPLICATION: Quarterly Lecturer". See the full posting on the d.school site.