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The differences between instructional designers and senior instructional designers 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 senior instructional designer. Additionally, a senior instructional designer has an average salary of $68,140, 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 senior instructional designer are instructional design, subject matter experts, and project management.
| Instructional Designer | Senior Instructional Designer | |
| Yearly salary | $57,534 | $68,140 |
| Hourly rate | $27.66 | $32.76 |
| Growth rate | 7% | 7% |
| Number of jobs | 50,321 | 47,093 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| 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 senior instructional designer specializes in developing instructional and educational materials for a specific group of individuals, including children and adults. Their duties involve working together with the clients in identifying project needs and requirements, collaborating with experts, conducting research and assessments, utilizing theories and other studies in developing instructional materials, and subjecting the materials into different inspections to ensure quality and accuracy. Additionally, a senior instructional designer must utilize their expertise and experience by training and supervising junior designers while implementing policies and regulations.
Instructional designers and senior instructional designers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Instructional Designer | Senior Instructional Designer | |
| Average salary | $57,534 | $68,140 |
| Salary range | Between $41,000 And $79,000 | Between $49,000 And $93,000 |
| Highest paying City | Hartford, CT | Newtown, CT |
| Highest paying state | Connecticut | Connecticut |
| Best paying company | Algolia | |
| Best paying industry | Technology | Technology |
There are a few differences between an instructional designer and a senior instructional designer in terms of educational background:
| Instructional Designer | Senior Instructional Designer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 63% | Bachelor's Degree, 65% |
| Most common major | Business | Business |
| Most common college | Harvard University | Harvard University |
Here are the differences between instructional designers' and senior instructional designers' demographics:
| Instructional Designer | Senior Instructional Designer | |
| Average age | 44 | 44 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 41.8% Female, 58.2% | Male, 45.7% Female, 54.3% |
| 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, 10.6% Unknown, 4.1% Hispanic or Latino, 16.8% Asian, 5.5% White, 62.4% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.7% |
| LGBT Percentage | 16% | 16% |