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Curriculum specialist vs instructional design consultant

The differences between curriculum specialists and instructional design consultants can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both a curriculum specialist and an instructional design consultant. Additionally, an instructional design consultant has an average salary of $70,045, which is higher than the $50,949 average annual salary of a curriculum specialist.

The top three skills for a curriculum specialist include math, curriculum development and K-12. The most important skills for an instructional design consultant are instructional design, subject matter experts, and elearning.

Curriculum specialist vs instructional design consultant overview

Curriculum SpecialistInstructional Design Consultant
Yearly salary$50,949$70,045
Hourly rate$24.49$33.68
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs1,58347,057
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

What does a curriculum specialist do?

The primary job of curriculum specialists is to develop, assess, and improve curricula and instruction. They are responsible for guiding teachers on their teaching methods, conducting research and making recommendations for improvements, and evaluating existing curricula alongside teachers and administrators. A curriculum specialist is expected to assist in creating and revising instructional materials, analyzing student data, and evaluating and improving the utilization of classroom materials. You are also responsible for finding appropriate curricula and textbooks to improve the student body's learning outcomes.

What does an instructional design consultant do?

An instructional design consultant is responsible for assisting, developing, and managing instructional material and plans with other professionals such as programmers, web developers, and teachers in IT. They usually collaborate, coordinate, and interact with the aforementioned professionals to develop a program design to enhance their expertise and learning experiences. Also, they must research electronic learning, run usability tests, find learning objectives for a particular project, and do a content development review and analysis.

Curriculum specialist vs instructional design consultant salary

Curriculum specialists and instructional design consultants have different pay scales, as shown below.

Curriculum SpecialistInstructional Design Consultant
Average salary$50,949$70,045
Salary rangeBetween $36,000 And $70,000Between $51,000 And $95,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DCWashington, DC
Highest paying stateMassachusettsConnecticut
Best paying companyAARPQualtrics
Best paying industryEducationEnergy

Differences between curriculum specialist and instructional design consultant education

There are a few differences between a curriculum specialist and an instructional design consultant in terms of educational background:

Curriculum SpecialistInstructional Design Consultant
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 65%
Most common majorElementary EducationBusiness
Most common collegeUniversity of PennsylvaniaHarvard University

Curriculum specialist vs instructional design consultant demographics

Here are the differences between curriculum specialists' and instructional design consultants' demographics:

Curriculum SpecialistInstructional Design Consultant
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 22.9% Female, 77.1%Male, 38.4% Female, 61.6%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 11.9% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.6% Asian, 5.4% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%Black or African American, 10.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 16.7% Asian, 5.4% White, 62.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between curriculum specialist and instructional design consultant duties and responsibilities

Curriculum specialist example responsibilities.

  • Lead efforts to establish goals for foreign language department's continuous improvement.
  • Lead the virtualization of military training exercises and provide periods of instruction using virtual simulations.
  • Coordinate testing, modele lessons for teachers, and implement the language arts program.
  • Develop and implement art infuse literacy program for kindergarten classes
  • Used data analysis consistently to target identify students for sustain reading and mathematics instruction.
  • Work with grades k-8, enrichment or extension classes
  • Show more

Instructional design consultant example responsibilities.

  • Manage CBT and ILT course documents using SharePoint.
  • Manage a repository on SharePoint of all assign training modules and supporting documentation of recent updates and changes to material.
  • Develop and implement leader-led and online training programs, introducing new learning methods and growing eLearning market.
  • Create and facilitate effective wrap-around or stand-alone ILT curricula.
  • Create ILT participant and facilitator guide for Medicare open enrollment.
  • Consult SMEs when gathering information to design and develop effective training solutions.
  • Show more

Curriculum specialist vs instructional design consultant skills

Common curriculum specialist skills
  • Math, 8%
  • Curriculum Development, 8%
  • K-12, 7%
  • Mathematics, 4%
  • PowerPoint, 4%
  • State Standards, 4%
Common instructional design consultant skills
  • Instructional Design, 11%
  • Subject Matter Experts, 8%
  • ELearning, 6%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • SMEs, 5%
  • Learning Solutions, 4%

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