Adjunct Faculty, Fashion Design

Adjunct Faculty, Fashion Design (On-Campus)

Salary: $2440 (lecture)-$3340 (studio) per class, per term

Location: Lakewood, Colorado

Position Overview

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design seeks qualified applicants to teach FS 1301 - Introduction to Sewing Basics in the Fashion Design department on our Lakewood Campus (in person). FS 1301 - Introduction to Sewing Basics, a 3-credit studio course designed for students entering the Fashion Design program with minimal sewing knowledge or skills. This introductory elective course focuses on fundamental sewing techniques and equipment, providing students with a solid foundation to advance in their fashion education.

Course Description

This course emphasizes the basics of fashion equipment, cutting, pinning, basic sewing, and pressing techniques. Through a variety of sample exercises and hands-on practice, students will develop confidence and prepare for more advanced courses in sewing, draping, and patternmaking.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver engaging and effective instruction for FS 1301 - Introduction to Sewing Basics.
• Guide students through hands-on exercises to develop fundamental sewing skills.
• Assess student progress and provide constructive feedback to support skill development.
• Maintain a positive and inclusive learning environment that encourages student participation and growth.
• Ensure students understand and apply professional sewing standards and industry terminology.

Course Learning Outcomes

• Demonstrate knowledge of proper industrial sewing machine maintenance and operation, including preparing a bobbin, threading the machine, using sewing feet, and adjusting thread tension.
• Demonstrate knowledge of fabric preparation and pattern layout for accurate cutting with a focus on minimizing fabric waste while maintaining grainline integrity.
• Develop a basic understanding of garment sewing and finishing techniques and how they apply to the construction of a commercial garment, including industry-specific terminology.
• Develop hand and machine sewing skills, including sewing buttons, zippers, basic seams, seam finishes, corners, curves, and darts.
• Develop an understanding of professional sewing standards and evaluate the quality of construction and finishing techniques in both personal work and industry examples.

Faculty Requirements

• Teaching and Instructional Activities: the practice and art of teaching, including evaluation by students, supervisor(s), and self. Faculty must also comply with all administrative and classroom management policies, procedures, and instructional deadlines.
• Regularly record class attendance in Faculty Portal and submit midterm/final grades by the due date specified.
• Provide timely, periodic, and meaningful feedback to students on assignments and participation.
• Successfully complete an online Faculty Certification Course, a two-week faculty online orientation and certification class administered through RMCAD's Learning Management System.

Qualifications

• Education & Experience: MFA or substantial professional experience in fashion design, garment construction, and sewing.
• Technical Expertise: Proficient in design software, industry terminology, and operating/maintaining industrial sewing machines and equipment.
• Teaching & Instruction: Minimum 2 years of teaching experience preferred (college-level and online preferred) with a proven ability to teach sewing fundamentals to beginner-level students.
• Classroom Management: Dedicated to fostering a supportive, engaging learning environment built around professional industry standards

About RMCAD

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design (RMCAD) is an innovative, rigorous, and community-oriented global learning environment that inspires passion for critical thinking and prepares learners to be forces of change in the creative industries, our communities, and the world. RMCAD was established in 1963 by Philip J. Steele, who had a vision to provide students with a quality higher education in art and design. RMCAD continues to experience growth since its comparatively modest beginnings and now thrives on a lush, historic campus including more than 23 acres of land and 16 buildings. We are also pioneers in the online learning environment for art and design. RMCAD currently has over 2,000 students enrolled.

RMCAD is dedicated to living its mission and values, specifically that "Our students come first." The college continuously works with faculty and staff towards developing an evolving student-ready paradigm. RMCAD fosters a dynamic learning and working environment that encourages multiple perspectives, collaboration, creativity, and the free exchange of ideas. We welcome people from a multitude of backgrounds who are committed to creativity, academic excellence, innovation, civility, mutual respect, and the free and open exchange of ideas.

About The Department

To understand fashion is to acknowledge it as a cultural product, a designed object, and an industry. In the RMCAD Fashion Design program, students interrogate the context in which they are working, and use the artistic language of fashion and an integrated approach to express creative vision, hone technical skills, balance handcrafts with digital techniques, and develop personalized methods of artistic communications, while gaining an understanding of local as well as global industries. RMCAD fashion students learn to create apparel for various markets and price points focusing on creative and thematic development, trend and customer research, technical construction, sourcing, costing, and standard production processes. Through a diverse and seasoned pool of faculty, peer encouragement, a broad range of cross-disciplinary experiences, and industry opportunities, students develop their positioning in the field and strengthen methodologies in professional practices and functional artistry. Students will develop meaningful solutions to challenge existing concepts through the effective use of sustainable strategies and industry-specific technologies. They will broadly cultivate specialized skills in design ideation and documentation, textiles, and material development, creative draping and flat patternmaking approaches, garment construction, and computer-aided design. The Fashion Design program features a comprehensive curriculum and provides an interconnectedness of academic disciplines, from foundational art, historical scholarship, academic writing, critical thinking and inquiry, and information literacy to fashion design, construction, and communication. This well-rounded approach nurtures the student's creative, research, observational, and communication skills, positioning them as leaders in an evolving fashion landscape. Please utilize the following link to explore classes within each department for which you may be considered to teach based on experience: https://catalog.rmcad.edu/content.php?catoid=16&navoid=4076

Working Conditions + Physical Demands

This is an in-person position teaching in a studio classroom on RMCAD''s Lakewood campus, with class times set by the term schedule. The role involves standing and moving around the studio for extended periods to demonstrate techniques and assist students at their workstations. Instructors regularly operate industrial sewing machines, irons and pressing equipment, and cutting tools, and may be exposed to machine noise, heat, and fabric dust. Occasional lifting of fabric bolts, equipment, or supplies up to 25 pounds may be required.

Rocky Mountain College of Art + Design is an Equal Opportunity Employer.