Post job

Instructional design consultant vs curriculum writer

The differences between instructional design consultants and curriculum writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 2-4 years to become both an instructional design consultant and a curriculum writer. Additionally, an instructional design consultant has an average salary of $70,045, which is higher than the $57,563 average annual salary of a curriculum writer.

The top three skills for an instructional design consultant include instructional design, subject matter experts and elearning. The most important skills for a curriculum writer are curriculum development, assessment items, and student achievement.

Instructional design consultant vs curriculum writer overview

Instructional Design ConsultantCurriculum Writer
Yearly salary$70,045$57,563
Hourly rate$33.68$27.67
Growth rate7%7%
Number of jobs47,05711,540
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Average age4444
Years of experience44

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.

What does a curriculum writer do?

Curriculum writers are professionals who are responsible for developing new academic instructional materials, lessons, and activities to be used by teachers or instructional staff from school districts, media companies, and other businesses. These writers are required to conduct professional development sessions for all staff about the design and changes in the new curriculum. They must produce instructional videos to help educators and coaches in preparing educational and instructional materials. Curriculum writers must also head a pilot project to evaluate potential opportunities for extended learning through virtual classroom and distance learning strategies.

Instructional design consultant vs curriculum writer salary

Instructional design consultants and curriculum writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Instructional Design ConsultantCurriculum Writer
Average salary$70,045$57,563
Salary rangeBetween $51,000 And $95,000Between $35,000 And $94,000
Highest paying CityWashington, DC-
Highest paying stateConnecticut-
Best paying companyQualtrics-
Best paying industryEnergy-

Differences between instructional design consultant and curriculum writer education

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

Instructional Design ConsultantCurriculum Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 65%Bachelor's Degree, 57%
Most common majorBusinessElementary Education
Most common collegeHarvard UniversityUniversity of Pennsylvania

Instructional design consultant vs curriculum writer demographics

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

Instructional Design ConsultantCurriculum Writer
Average age4444
Gender ratioMale, 38.4% Female, 61.6%Male, 25.9% Female, 74.1%
Race ratioBlack 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%Black or African American, 12.3% Unknown, 3.9% Hispanic or Latino, 16.3% Asian, 5.4% White, 61.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7%
LGBT Percentage16%16%

Differences between instructional design consultant and curriculum writer duties and responsibilities

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 writer example responsibilities.

  • Lead the virtualization of military training exercises and provide periods of instruction using virtual simulations.
  • Create schedules to ensure each designate student receive ESL services.
  • Facilitate meetings with teachers and administrators to ensure success of ESL students.
  • Work with a team of teachers to development students' IEP's.
  • Create innovative communication materials including PowerPoint presentations, fact sheets, brochures, website content and global e-mails.
  • Incorporate textbook readings, videos, PowerPoint presentations, and primary documents in an effort to bring history to life.
  • Show more

Instructional design consultant vs curriculum writer skills

Common instructional design consultant skills
  • Instructional Design, 11%
  • Subject Matter Experts, 8%
  • ELearning, 6%
  • Project Management, 5%
  • SMEs, 5%
  • Learning Solutions, 4%
Common curriculum writer skills
  • Curriculum Development, 15%
  • Assessment Items, 11%
  • Student Achievement, 9%
  • Language Arts, 7%
  • Science Curriculum, 6%
  • Curriculum Maps, 6%

Browse education, training, and library jobs