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 and technology, or a closely-related field.
Instructional design courses help you identify and pursue the future of education on behalf of your students, while learning and technology curriculums help you blend traditional academic practices with modern technology. You’ll be able to combine individual courses to create a learning experience that best prepares you for the role of an instructional coordinator.
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.
Learning and Technology – M.Ed.
An online master's degree for current teachers or others looking...
An online master's degree for current teachers or...
An online master's degree for current teachers or others looking to further their careers with a graduate program focused on integrating technology with instructional design principles.
No teaching license required.
- Time: 73% of grads earned this degree within 18 months.
- Tuition and fees: $3,635 per 6-month term.
Coursework in this program covers the following areas of study:
- Instructional design
- Research fundamentals
- Technology integration
Harness the power of technology to teach more kids in better ways with this education master's degree.
Teachers College
Instructional Design – M.Ed.
An online master's degree for current teachers and others...
An online master's degree for current teachers...
An online master's degree for current teachers and others looking to further their careers with a graduate program focused on designing top-notch curriculum.
No teaching license required.
- Time: 87% of grads earned this degree within 24 months.
- Tuition and fees: $3,635 per 6-month term.
Coursework in this program covers the following areas of study:
- Instructional design
- Research fundamentals
- Measurement and evaluation
Improve teaching, training and learning. Learn to build better curriculum with this education master's degree.
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 the same source.
What Is the Job Outlook for an Instructional Coordinator?
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 when a majority of resource evaluation, curriculum building, and teacher instruction can take place.