"Adjunct Faculty: General Education - How to Design Your Life: A Journey Through Personal Epistemology"

Position Overview

San Francisco Bay University (SFBU) invites applications for the position of Adjunct Faculty to teach the course How to Design Your Life: A Journey Through Personal Epistemology within the General Education Curriculum. This course combines design thinking methodology with epistemological reflection to help students examine how they know what they know, identify the social, cultural, and personal influences shaping their understanding, and design experiments to improve their experiences in key life domains, such as health, relationships, play, growth, career, and finances.

We are seeking educators with experience in both design thinking and reflective pedagogy who can guide students through applied inquiry and iterative design as a means of personal and academic development. This is a part-time, semester-long position physically based in Fremont, CA. The course is delivered in person, so the instructor will be required to teach on-site at the SFBU campus during weekday hours.

Course Description

This course empowers you to become the architect of your own life by critically examining the beliefs, values, and assumptions that shape your choices. You will reflect deeply on how your worldview is influenced by factors such as family, culture, education, media, and lived experience. Through guided self-inquiry and practical exercises, you'll clarify your understanding of what success, meaning, and purpose look like in your life.

You'll explore eight essential life domains: physical health, mental health, spiritual health, relationships, finances, play, growth, and career. In each domain, you will design and conduct mini experiments to discover what genuinely supports your well-being, growth, and fulfillment.

Applying design thinking principles, including empathy, ideation, prototyping, and iteration, you'll develop strategies to navigate life's challenges with creativity, resilience, and intention. The course culminates in the creation of a personalized, balanced, and evolving four-year life plan that integrates your insights across all life domains.

Throughout the course, you will strengthen critical thinking and analytical skills, enabling you to thoughtfully engage with diverse perspectives and make informed decisions as you intentionally design your future at SFBU and beyond.

Teaching Excellence

Candidates should possess deep subject knowledge in life design, pedagogical expertise, and the ability to engage students actively while adapting to their diverse needs. As we transition away from traditional lecture-based instruction, we seek faculty who understand and appreciate student-centered design and can adopt pedagogical practices stemming from this approach. These practices include active learning strategies, collaborative projects, problem-based learning, inquiry-based learning, flipped classroom models, and the use of formative assessments to inform and adjust teaching.

Key Responsibilities

• Teach the course, How to Design Your Life: A Journey Through Personal Epistemology, in alignment with the SFBU curriculum.
• Facilitate engaging discussions that explore philosophical, epistemological, and practical approaches to life design.
• Guide students through critical reflection on prevailing definitions of success and well-being.
• Teach students how to evaluate information, perspectives, and social narratives using diverse epistemological lenses.
• Integrate AI into teaching, classroom exercises, and assignments.
• Provide practical tools to help students develop personalized strategies for academic success, wellness, time and financial management, and building positive relationships.
• Foster a learning environment that emphasizes critical thinking, self-awareness, and personal agency.
• Maintain student records, provide timely feedback, and assess student learning.
• Collaborate with other faculty and staff to enhance the overall student experience.
• Be accessible to students for academic advising and mentorship.
• Uphold SFBU's mission and values, promoting inclusivity, curiosity, and student success.

Minimum Qualifications

• Master's degree or higher in Design, Philosophy, Educational Theory, Counseling Psychology, Education Psychology, Coaching, or closely related disciplines.
• Demonstrated experience applying design thinking in educational or personal development contexts.
• Strong background in student development, reflective inquiry, or student development that integrates structured design practices.
• Previous Successful Collegiate Teaching Experience.
• Demonstrated commitment to student-centered, experiential pedagogy.
• A passion for mentoring and guiding students in their academic and professional growth.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively with colleagues, students, and community partners.
• Commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in education and practice.

Preferred Qualifications

• Terminal degree (Ph.D., Ed.D.) in a relevant field.
• Experience teaching courses that combine design thinking with reflective, inquiry-based learning, especially in first-year experience or general education programs.
• Familiarity with epistemological frameworks applied in practical, personal contexts.
• Experience incorporating wellness, time management, financial literacy, and relationship-building into course design.
• Familiarity with the needs of diverse and international student populations, particularly within institutions like SFBU that emphasize access, innovation, and applied learning.

Salary

SFBU compensation for a 3-credit course on-site delivery in general education is $11,880.80 per semester.

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