Instructional Coordinator Career
How to Become an Instructional Coordinator
Responsible for overseeing the creation and implementation of school curriculums, instructional coordinators play a critical role in student education. Whether the curriculum itself is meant for middle school children or graduate-level students, instructional coordinators can help to create, implement, and revise courses.
Though they do not work directly with students, they collaborate closely with educators and instructors. In constantly seeking out new strategies to improve the quality of a student’s education, an instructional coordinator career is ideal for any individual who wants to play an active role in student success.
What Is an Instructional Coordinator?
Instructional coordinators work primarily to make sure that curriculums are strong, accurate, and correctly taught. They will routinely audit teacher performance inside and outside of the classroom, and provide feedback to encourage greater success.
They can often take teacher education a step further, monitoring school-specific or regional seminars on the best ways to teach certain courses. In addition, instructional coordinators have a hand in reviewing all third-party instructional tools, whether those tools are textbooks, instructional videos, worksheets, or any other resource that contributes to the education of students.
What Does an Instructional Coordinator Do?
The day-to-day responsibilities of an instructional coordinator can vary greatly but typically help to further student success through strong curriculums and correct teaching methods.
The specific responsibilities of an instructional coordinator can include:
- Designing curriculums that appropriately educate students on a wide variety of concepts.
- Implementing curriculums in a way that helps students to succeed.
- Evaluating teacher performance; in particular, the way that they implement curriculums.
- Familiarizing themselves with curriculum contents, first educating themselves on the specifics of what students will be learning before attempting to improve it.
- Facilitating ongoing teacher education to consistently inform teachers of new strategies to better reach students and accommodate their needs.
- Assessing student test results and other benchmarks to determine how well they adapt to and understand new curriculums.
- Analyzing all potential educational resources, especially new textbooks and online educational resources, to determine viability.
- Maintaining an awareness of the entire educational landscape to appropriately integrate any new teaching resources and best practices into a school’s current set of standard operations and procedures.
These tasks and others make up the main job responsibilities of an instructional coordinator.
What Education Does an Instructional Coordinator Need?
As an individual directly responsible for the implementation of educational curriculums, it’s no surprise that instructional coordinators require extensive schooling of their own. At a minimum, they will need a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction, learning experience design and educational technology, or a closely-related field.
Instructional design courses help you identify and pursue the future of education on behalf of your students, and learning and technology curriculums help you blend traditional academic practices with modern technology.
Best Degrees for an Instructional Coordinator
You should absolutely get a degree if you want to become an instructional coordinator. Good, stable work in education is hard to find if you haven’t taken the time to get yourself an education first. For most jobs in education, a bachelor’s degree is required, and a teaching certification might also be expected. To improve your job resume and further prepare yourself for the challenges of the classroom, a master’s degree in education can give you a big leg up on the competition. Any education degree will prepare you for a job as a instructional coordinator. For your undergraduate degree, it’s smart to choose the specialization that plays to your strengths. A master’s degree, perhaps geared toward curriculum design, will be a huge help in securing that job.
Educational Studies – B.A.
These online, non-licensure educational studies degrees prepare...
These online, non-licensure educational studies...
These online, non-licensure educational studies degrees prepare you to make a difference in a field that interests you.
Based on your career goals and interests, you can choose an educational studies program in one of 10 content areas that meets your needs while working toward employment in school settings, corporate training, or instructional design. These programs do not lead to a teaching license.
- Time: Completion time varies depending on the specialty track you choose.
- Tuition and fees: $3,825 per 6-month term.
Candidates for this special education degree program often include:
- Elementary Education
- Elementary and Special Education
- Mild to Moderate Special Education
- Secondary Biology Science Education
- Secondary Chemistry Science Education
- Secondary Earth Science Education
- Secondary Physics Education
- Middle Grades Science Education
- Secondary Mathematics Education
- Middle Grade Mathematics Education
Students in this program will be prepared for careers including:
- Instructional support
- Community outreach
- Training
- Education staff (museums, learning centers, etc.)
- K-12 opportunities that do not require a teaching license
Teachers College
Curriculum and Instruction – M.S.
An online master's degree for those who have educational...
An online master's degree for those who have...
An online master's degree for those who have educational experience and are looking to further their careers with a graduate program focused on curriculum development and design.
- Time: 72% of grads earned this degree within 18 months.
- Tuition: $3,975 per 6-month term.
Coursework in this program covers the following areas of study:
- Curriculum theory and development
- Instructional theory
- Research fundamentals
Help schools create engaging, meaningful, and memorable learning experiences to improve learning outcomes for all students with this M.S. degree.
Teachers College
Learning Experience Design and Educational Technology – M.S.
The M.S. in Learning Experience Design and Educational...
The M.S. in Learning Experience Design and...
The M.S. in Learning Experience Design and Educational Technology from WGU is for instructional designers tasked with creating engaging and immersive virtual learning experiences that can substitute for on-ground instruction.
No teaching license required.
- Time: 70% of grads finish similar programs in 18 months
- Tuition: $3,975 per 6-month term
This program includes two tracks for students:
- The K-12 Learning Designer pathway
- The Adult Learning Designer pathway
Coursework in this program includes:
- Learning experience design
- Instructional technology
- Curriculum planning
Develop training and instruction expertise to help you in the classroom, in educational settings, or in corporate world.
Teachers College
Our Online University Degree Programs Start on the First of Every Month, All Year Long
No need to wait for spring or fall semester. It's back-to-school time at WGU year-round. Get started by talking to an Enrollment Counselor today, and you'll be on your way to realizing your dream of a bachelor's or master's degree—sooner than you might think!
What Skills Does an Instructional Coordinator Need?
A variety of applicable skills help instructional coordinators reach and sustain success in academics. These skills can include:
- Team collaboration. The ability to work alongside other school administration to implement successful curriculums.
- Team leadership. The ability to lead a school’s administrative team toward success by first ensuring student success.
- Student relations. The ability to relate to student’s current needs to create curriculums that remain relevant and engaging.
- Curriculum formulation. The ability to create curriculums that accurately capture students’ attention through the delivery of correct information.
- Adept communication. The ability to effectively communicate with students, parents, staff members, and teachers regarding curriculum integration and student performance.
- Academic analysis. The ability to assess a student’s capacity to absorb information from a curriculum, by drawing conclusions from students’ tests, worksheets, homework, and other submitted work.
These and other relevant skills make for a busy instructional coordinator daily. However, the correct implementation of these skills also creates a transformative experience for each student, now given the ability to learn at his or her own pace.
How Much Does an Instructional Coordinator Make?
$61,672
While the exact salary of an instructional coordinator often depends on location, years of experience, level of success, and specific school of employment, salaries can average $61,672 in the United States.
These salaries typically range from $47,000 to $81,000, according to payscale.com.
What Is the Projected Job Growth?
6% Growth
The job outlook for an instructional coordinator is still a positive one, despite the newfound prevalence of online schooling. Employment for instructional coordinators is expected to grow 6% from 2019 to 2029, behind the continued need for curriculum development.
Regardless of where a student’s education takes place, the need for powerful, transformative, accurate curriculums will always remain. Even after those curriculums have been built, teachers need to be familiarized with their contents and held accountable for correct instruction—a role also held by instructional coordinators.
Where Do Instructional Coordinators Work?
Schools
Most often, instructional coordinators will work onsite at their academic institution. Their office is typically close to those of their teachers and other administrative staff, as well as the classrooms in which they will spend some of their time.
Other times, the working location can depend on where students are in their academic calendar. When students are not in class—and especially during summer months—instructional coordinators are likely to expend extended time outside of their offices. This is when a majority of resource evaluation, curriculum building, and teacher instruction can take place.