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The differences between instructional designers and learning design specialists 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 designer and a learning design specialist. Additionally, a learning design specialist has an average salary of $72,967, which is higher than the $57,534 average annual salary of an instructional designer.
The top three skills for an instructional designer include instructional design, subject matter experts and project management. The most important skills for a learning design specialist are blended learning, instructional design, and subject matter experts.
| Instructional Designer | Learning Design Specialist | |
| Yearly salary | $57,534 | $72,967 |
| Hourly rate | $27.66 | $35.08 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 8% |
| Number of jobs | 50,321 | 68,913 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Years of experience | 4 | 4 |
An instructional designer focuses on devising learning materials and content to aid every students' learning difficulties. These can include videos, books, and presentations. They are primarily responsible for conducting thorough research and analysis to identify the needs of students, crafting learning strategies in collaboration with experts. They are also responsible for developing tools and materials to help assess every students' progress, such as quizzes and examinations. Furthermore, an instructional designer needs to coordinate with all personnel involved with the project to ensure accuracy and timeliness.
A learning design specialist is responsible for creating instructional materials according to the learner's curriculum and evaluate existing educational resources for further improvements needed. Learning design specialists facilitate the development of educational software tools and technology and coordinate with the educators for testing. They also attend conferences and train instructors in utilizing learning materials. A learning design specialist must have excellent communication skills, as well as extensive knowledge of the learning practices, to recommend teaching methods based on the curriculum's standards.
Instructional designers and learning design specialists have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instructional Designer | Learning Design Specialist | |
| Average salary | $57,534 | $72,967 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $79,000 | Between $58,000 And $91,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hartford, CT | Olympia, WA |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Wyoming |
| Best paying company | McKinsey & Company Inc | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Hospitality |
There are a few differences between an instructional designer and a learning design specialist in terms of educational background:
| Instructional Designer | Learning Design Specialist | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Harvard University | University of Pennsylvania |
Here are the differences between instructional designers' and learning design specialists' demographics:
| Instructional Designer | Learning Design Specialist | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.8% Female, 58.2% | Male, 34.3% Female, 65.7% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 9.9% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 17.2% Asian, 5.5% White, 62.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8% | Black or African American, 10.9% Unknown, 6.3% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 5.9% White, 60.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.5% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 12% |