Education Instructor SMS Job Springfield area,Illinois USA,Education / Teaching

Position: Education Instructor SMS-3844

Description

Under the direction of the Chair of the Department of Medical Humanities the appointee will perform the duties and fulfill the responsibilities of an Education Instructor. The appointee will participate in teaching, research, and services in areas of competence with a focus on visual arts.

* This position is ON SITE only*

Examples of Duties

Teaching 60%

A. Curriculum Development & Organization

Develop, revise, and implement curriculum experiences for undergraduate medical students that integrate the visual arts into medical education, with an emphasis on observation, interpretation, reflection, and humanistic practice as foundations for professional identity formation and clinician flourishing.

Design and update modules incorporating visual arts (e.g., drawing, painting, photography, digital media, and mixed media) within the Medical Humanities curriculum, including the Medical Humanities Clerkship and integrated pre-clinical and clinical coursework, with attention to fostering meaning, connection, and well-being.

Serve as a resource for visual arts-based pedagogy across Year 1-4 curricula, supporting faculty in incorporating arts-based approaches that enhance learner engagement, resilience, and reflective capacity.

Develop and coordinate electives in visual arts and medicine, including studio-based, reflective, and digital design offerings that promote creativity, self-awareness, and flourishing in medical training.

Contribute to interdisciplinary curriculum development that integrates visual arts with narrative medicine, ethics, professionalism, and clinical observation, emphasizing the role of the humanities in sustaining purpose and reducing burnout.

Assist in planning and implementing co-curricular and extracurricular offerings (e.g., exhibits, workshops, humanities events) that cultivate community, belonging, and well-being through shared creative experiences.
Collaborate with faculty across departments to integrate visual arts into clinical education, including observational skills training and reflective practices that support empathy, presence, and meaning-making.
Participate in departmental curriculum planning, assessment, and continuous quality improvement efforts, incorporating measures of learner engagement, well-being, and flourishing where appropriate.

Assume designated educational administrative responsibilities at the direction of and under the supervision of the Chair of the Department.

B. Curriculum Delivery

Deliver and evaluate learning experiences using visual arts methodologies in lectures, seminars, workshops, and small-group sessions across undergraduate and graduate medical education, with attention to psychological safety and inclusive learning environments.

Facilitate studio-based and experiential learning sessions utilizing multiple visual art mediums (e.g., drawing, painting, collage, photography, digital illustration) to promote reflection, perspective-taking, and restorative learning.

Teach electives focused on visual arts in medicine, including courses that incorporate digital graphic design and visual storytelling in healthcare contexts, highlighting the role of creativity in sustaining professional fulfillment.

Guide learners in developing observational acuity, tolerance of ambiguity, and reflective capacity through engagement with visual art, supporting adaptive expertise and emotional resilience.

Provide instruction and mentorship in the use of digital tools for visual communication, including graphic design, digital storytelling, and visual presentation, as a means of amplifying voice, advocacy, and meaning-making.

Participate in interdisciplinary teaching activities, including Medical Humanities programming, clerkships, and pathway initiatives, with a focus on fostering connection and community.

Contribute to continuing education offerings, workshops, and faculty development sessions related to visual arts in medical education and their role in clinician well-being.

Mentor students in scholarly and creative projects related to visual arts and medicine, including capstone and pathway projects that explore identity, purpose, and flourishing in medicine.

Service 35%

Serve on Department, School of Medicine, and University committees as appropriate, contributing to initiatives that advance a culture of humanism, inclusion, and well-being.

Contribute to the visibility and impact of Medical Humanities through exhibitions, installations, and public-facing programming and displays that highlight the…