What Does An Instructional Coordinator Do (including Their Typical Day at Work)

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Salary, Job Description, How To Become One, and Quiz

Instructional Coordinators

Instructional Coordinators develop instructional material, coordinate educational content, and incorporate current technology into instruction in order to provide guidelines to educators and instructors for developing curricula and conducting courses. May train and coach teachers. Includes educational consultants and specialists, and instructional material directors.

Salary
$70160
Becoming One
Very Hard
Education
Master's degree
Job Satisfaction
Job Growth

Personality
Interest Match


What they do

Instructional Coordinators develop instructional material, coordinate educational content, and incorporate current technology into instruction in order to provide guidelines to educators and instructors for developing curricula and conducting courses. May train and coach teachers. Includes educational consultants and specialists, and instructional material directors.

  • Observe the work of teaching staff to evaluate performance and to recommend changes that could strengthen teaching skills.
  • Plan and conduct teacher training programs and conferences dealing with new classroom procedures, instructional materials and equipment, and teaching aids.
  • Interpret and enforce provisions of state education codes and rules and regulations of state education boards.
  • Conduct or participate in workshops, committees, and conferences designed to promote the intellectual, social, and physical welfare of students.

Typical day

On a daily basis, Instructional Coordinators advise and teach students. They observe the work of teaching staff to evaluate performance and to recommend changes that could strengthen teaching skills.

A typical day for an Instructional Coordinator will also include:

  • Interpret and enforce provisions of state education codes and rules and regulations of state education boards.
  • Organize production and design of curriculum materials.
  • Research, evaluate, and prepare recommendations on curricula, instructional methods, and materials for school systems.
  • Recommend, order, or authorize the purchase of instructional materials, supplies, equipment, and visual aids designed to meet student educational needs and district standards.
  • Develop instructional materials to be used by educators and instructors.

Other responsibilities

Besides their typical day, Instructional Coordinators also confer with members of educational committees and advisory groups to obtain knowledge of subject areas and to relate curriculum materials to specific subjects, individual student needs, and occupational areas. They may also conduct or participate in workshops, committees, and conferences designed to promote the intellectual, social, and physical welfare of students.

On a weekly to monthly basis, Instructional Coordinators develop instructional materials to be used by educators and instructors. They might also coordinate activities of workers engaged in cataloging, distributing, and maintaining educational materials and equipment in curriculum libraries and laboratories.

In addition, they recommend, order, or authorize the purchase of instructional materials, supplies, equipment, and visual aids designed to meet student educational needs and district standards.

Although specific duties may vary, many of them advise teaching and administrative staff in curriculum development, use of materials and equipment, and implementation of state and federal programs and procedures.

To some Instructional Coordinators, it is also their responsibility to observe the work of teaching staff to evaluate performance and to recommend changes that could strengthen teaching skills.

What is the job like

Job satisfaction

Very High

Is this job meaningful

High

77% said they were satisfied with their job and 66% said they found their job meaningful.


Bri Salsman
Coach Training EDU

As a Dean of Program Development, I am responsible for creating an exceptional student experience. Coach Training EDU (CTEDU) is a fully virtual coach training program. To this end, I created the online Coach Portal and continuously look for ways to improve it. This includes curriculum development such as recording and editing new video content, curating resources from third parties and developing CTEDU branded resources.

In addition, I am also responsible for launching all-new cohorts once students are enrolled in our program. I created the course in the Coach Portal, share login credentials with the students, moderate online forums, and provide ongoing support to students outside of class.

Our trainers serve as the link between my role on the backend and the students enrolled in our program, so I also ensure that trainers have all the resources to successfully lead their courses. This includes continuously enhancing our Trainers’ Hub, which houses the most up-to-date Trainers’ Guide, resources for various in-class activities, and training best practices. We also host monthly professional development for our trainers, which I am a part of leading.

Since I have shifted into more of a “non-traditional educator’s” role with a very quickly growing organization, my days have become far less typical than when I worked in a traditional educational setting. With this said, I typically start my day by responding to emails from students and trainers. Once all students and trainers are taken care of, I shift into daily tasks such as adding any newly enrolled students to the Coach Portal and uploading replays of the previous day’s class sessions. Then I spend the bulk of my day working on special projects that are aimed at enhancing the student experience. Some recent projects have included adding community forums to the Coach Portal, building out our Train the Trainer program, developing curriculum for a new Team & Relationships Coach Training course, and collaborating with other team members to ensure accurate programmatic information is included in the launch of our new website. Throughout the day, I might meet with our co-founder, a trainer, or a few students, but these meetings usually only take about 2 hours of my entire day.

Pros

When I think about the pros and cons of my current role, I consider the comparison between what I do now compared to when I was in a more traditional educator’s role. Working with a fully remote organization, I have substantially more autonomy in my work. My expertise is trusted, which allows me to have greater influence than in any previous position I’ve held. There is little to no red tape or bureaucracy in my role and I am provided with tremendous freedom to try new things and take ownership of new projects and ideas. I might be in a brainstorming session with our co-founder or a team member and, by the end of the meeting, we’re deciding on actionable steps to take immediately. Unlike in my previous roles, I am not having endless numbers of meetings with little to no progress. Every day, I see tangible outcomes from the work I am doing.

Cons

On the flip side, in this quick-paced environment, sometimes the bigger picture or the strategic vision can get temporarily lost. There’s more opportunity for “position creep.” While I do have clearly defined responsibilities, there are times where I am pulled to support other projects that are beyond my own expertise or skillset. I view these as opportunities to add to my professional toolbox and, at the same time, don’t always see how to leverage the new learning in other areas that are more relevant to my role. In addition, I have far less direct contact with students. While I also serve as a trainer for a few cohorts at a time so I can stay abreast of current trends in the classroom, that contact is far less than the level of interaction I had working in a school where students were around all day, 5 days a week.


Pros

Suitable for people who like to help and teach others.

Suitable for people who value relationships between co-workers and customers and want to work in a friendly non-competitive environment.

This career is perfect for people who love to work indoors.

Very good salary.

Cons

Not suitable for people who like practical and hands-on work.

It is very hard to get into this career. Extensive skills, knowledge, and experience are required for this career.

Long working hours (More than 40 hours per week).

How much do they make

Average salary

$70160 per year

Average hourly wage

$34 per hour

Entry-level Instructional Coordinators with little to no experience can expect to make anywhere between $39,270 to $51,720 per year or $19 to $25 per hour.

Salary by experience Annual Hourly
Highest (Top 10%) $105,650 $51
Senior (Top 25%) $86,100 $41
Median $66,970 $32
Junior (Bottom 25%) $51,720 $25
No experience (Bottom 10%) $39,270 $19

This table shows the top 10 highest paying industries for Instructional Coordinators based on their average annual salary.

Salary by industry Annual Hourly
Federal Executive Branch $99320 $47.75
Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution $96440 $46.36
Architectural, Engineering, and Related Services $85370 $41.05
Office Administrative Services $82440 $39.63
Motion Picture and Video Industries $82350 $39.59
Merchant Wholesalers, Nondurable Goods $82020 $39.44
Employment Services $80310 $38.61
Home Health Care Services $78840 $37.91
Scientific Research and Development Services $78350 $37.67
Specialty Hospitals $77920 $37.46

View more salary by industries here.

Where can they work

Where can Instructional Coordinators work? Here is a table showing the top 10 largest employers of Instructional Coordinators including the average salary in that industry.

Employers Total Employed Annual Salary Hourly Wages
Elementary and Secondary Schools 83400 $72070 $34.65
Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools 29620 $67060 $32.24
Educational Support Services 12600 $73550 $35.36
Junior Colleges 7370 $63120 $30.35
State Government 7240 $73760 $35.46
Other Schools and Instruction 3710 $57110 $27.46
Local Government 3210 $71800 $34.52
Child Day Care Services 3070 $48930 $23.52
Federal Executive Branch 2420 $99320 $47.75
Business Schools and Computer and Management Training 2140 $69400 $33.37

What is the work day like

Working hours

Less than 40 hours
0%

40 hours
6%

More than 40 hours
94%

Working schedule

100%

0%

0%

Email

How often do you use email in this job?

Once a week
0%

Every day
100%

Telephone

How often do you have telephone conversations in this job?

Once a week
23%

Every day
66%

Group discussions

How often do you have group discussions in this job?

Once a week
5%

Every day
95%

Public speaking

How often does this job require you to do public speaking?

Never
0%

Once a year
16%

Once a month
23%

Once a week
41%

Every day
20%

Level of competition

How much competitive pressure is in this job?

Not competitive at all
0%

Slightly competitive
41%

Moderately competitive
34%

Highly competitive
13%

Extremely competitive
12%

What is the work environment like

Office-style environment

Indoors in an environmentally controlled condition

Never
0%

Once a year or more
0%

Once a month or more
0%

Once a week or more
0%

Every day
100%

Warehouse-style environment

Indoors in a non-controlled environmental condition such as a warehouse

Never
66%

Once a year or more
29%

Once a month or more
5%

Once a week or more
0%

Every day
0%

Outdoors

Outdoors exposed to all weather conditions

Never
58%

Once a year or more
22%

Once a month or more
5%

Once a week or more
10%

Every day
5%

Outdoors – Under Cover

Outdoors but under cover (e.g. structure with roof but no walls)

Never
68%

Once a year or more
31%

Once a month or more
0%

Once a week or more
0%

Every day
0%

How to become one

Difficulty to become one

Very Hard
You will need an extensive amount of skill, knowledge, and experience. Careers in this difficulty category usually require graduate school and more than five years of experience. These careers usually involve coordinating, training, supervising, or managing the activities of others to accomplish goals. Very advanced communication and organizational skills are required. Similar careers include Pharmacists, Lawyers, Astronomers, Neurologists, and Veterinarians.

Required level of education

What level of education do you need to perform the job?

Less than a High School Diploma
0%

High School Diploma or equivalent
0%

Post-Secondary Certificate
0%

Some College Courses
0%

Associate’s Degree or similar
0%

Bachelor’s Degree
25%

Post-Baccalaureate Certificate
0%

Master’s Degree
60%

Post-Master’s Certificate
11%

First Professional Degree
4%

Doctoral Degree
0%

Post-Doctoral Training
0%

Relevant majors

Educational/Instructional Technology

A program that focuses on integrating technology into educational curricula. Includes instruction in foundations of educational technology, computer applications, utilizing technology for assessment, multimedia instruction, web-based instruction, distance education, and designing and producing educational software and materials.

Curriculum and Instruction

A program that focuses on the curriculum and related instructional processes and tools, and that may prepare individuals to serve as professional curriculum specialists. Includes instruction in curriculum theory, curriculum design and planning, instructional material design and evaluation, curriculum evaluation, and applications to specific subject matter, programs or educational levels.

Relevant work experience

How much related work experience do you need to get hired for the job?

None
11%

1 month
0%

1 to 3 months
0%

3 to 6 months
0%

6 months to 1 year
0%

1 to 2 years
11%

2 to 4 years
32%

4 to 6 years
17%

6 to 8 years
28%

8 to 10 years
0%

Over 10 years
0%

On The Job Training

How much on the job training do you need to perform the job?

None or short demonstration
16%

1 month
19%

1 to 3 months
16%

3 to 6 months
0%

6 months to 1 year
16%

1 to 2 years
11%

2 to 4 years
22%

4 to 10 years
0%

Over 10 years
0%

Should you become one

Best personality type for this career

The Helper

People with this personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.

The Builder
29%

People with The Builder personality type likes practical and hands-on work. They prefer working with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery.


The Thinker
71%

People with The Thinker personality likes to work with ideas that require an extensive amount of thinking. They prefer work that requires them to solve problems mentally.


The Artist
62%

People with The Artist personality likes to work with designs and patterns. They prefer activities that require self-expression and prefer work that can be done without following a clear set of rules.


The Helper
95%

People with The Helper personality type likes to work with people and in teams. They prefer work that allows them to build relationships with others.


The Leader
62%

People with The Leader personality likes to start and work on projects. They also like leading people and making many decisions.


The Organizer
43%

People with The Organizer personality type likes to follow set procedures and routines. They prefer working with data and details more than with ideas.


You can read more about these career personality types here.

People who are suitable for this job tend to like working with, communicating with, and teaching people. They like helping or providing service to others.

They also like working with ideas and require an extensive amount of thinking. They like searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.

Take this quiz to see if this is the right career for you.

Work Values

Which values are the most important to a person’s satisfaction for this job?

Achievement
81%

You are someone who is results oriented. You prefer work that allows you to utilize your skills and abilities while at the same time giving you a sense of accomplishment.

Working Conditions
69%

You are someone who values job security, steady employment, and good working conditions. You also prefer work that keeps you busy all the time with something different to do every day.

Recognition
67%

You are someone who values job advancement and leadership roles. You prefer work that receives recognition for the work you do and jobs that are looked up to by others in the company and your community.

Relationships
86%

You are someone who likes to provide a service to others. You prefer a work environment where you can work with your co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment.

Support
43%

You are someone who values a company that stands behind their employees. You prefer a work environment where everyone is treated fairly and is being supported by the company.

Independence
86%

You are someone who likes to work on your own and make your own decisions. You prefer work that requires little supervision and are allowed to try out your own ideas.

FAQ


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