Just like constructing a building requires a strong foundation and essential parts, designing a curriculum also needs key components to make it effective. According to Schweitzer 2019, curriculum design is the purposeful, deliberate, and systematic organization of the curriculum. This means it's not something random or accidental. It requires careful planning so that learning becomes meaningful and effective. Every part of the curriculum should serve a clear purpose and follow a logical flow. Nega also defines curriculum design as the structure or pattern of organization of the curriculum. Imagine it as the blueprint of a house. The blueprint shows how the rooms, walls, and spaces are arranged. In the same way, curriculum design shows how learning objectives, content, teaching strategies, and assessments are organized to achieve educational goals. So, in short, curriculum design answers the question, how do we put everything together, objectives, content, methods, and assessment so that teaching and learning are coherent and effective? This is why it is both systematic and structured. The elements of a curriculum design are curriculum intent, learning experiences, content, evaluation. We will discuss each of these in detail in the next part of our lesson. Curriculum intent refers to the direction that will be taken as a result of participating in the curriculum. It provides the overall purpose and desired outcomes that guide both teaching and learning. This intent is reflected in the aims, goals, and objectives stated in curriculum documents, which outline what learners are expected to achieve by the end of the learning process. These aims and goals act as guiding stars for teachers, helping them decide on the appropriate content, strategies, and assessments to use in the classroom. In essence, curriculum intent ensures that every part of the curriculum is aligned toward achieving meaningful and purposeful learning experiences. Content refers to the various topics, concepts, and skills that need to be covered and learned, making it the very meat of the curriculum. It provides the substance of what teachers deliver and what learners are expected to acquire throughout the learning process. The content should contain the essentials of teaching and learning carefully selected to meet the needs of the learners. In this sense, it gives primacy to the most important element in the educative process, the learners themselves. Curriculum intents must also be the basis for the content. There are different criteria for selecting content in curriculum design and one of these is highlighted by Sheffller 1970 which states that the content should serve as the means by which learners can actualize their potentials. One important principle here is self-sufficiency, which means that the content chosen must enable learners to become independent and capable of applying what they have learned on their own. The goal is not just to transmit knowledge for classroom use, but to build confidence and resourcefulness that students can use in real life situations. For example, in mathematics, when learners are taught different problem solving strategies, they are not only being prepared for exams, but also being equipped to make decisions independently, such as budgeting their allowance, analyzing prices in a store or organizing time for their studies. This shows that self-sufficiency and content selection helps learners maximize their potential by fostering independence and lifelong applicability of what they learn. The content to be learned should contribute to the basic ideas, concepts, principles, and the general aims of the curriculum. This means that what we include in the curriculum must not be trivial or disconnected, but instead should have lasting value that supports learners overall growth and education. The criterion of significance emphasizes that content must help develop the learner's cognitive, effective or psycho motor skills, making it meaningful and relevant to their lives. For instance, in science, teaching the concept of environmental conservation is significant because it not only develops cognitive skills such as understanding ecosystems, but also nurtures effective values like responsibility toward nature and can extend to psycho motor skills such as participating in cleanup drives or proper waste management. In this way, significant content connects knowledge, skills, and values to the broader goals of education and to real life application. Another important criterion in selecting curriculum content is validity. This subject matter is considered valid if it is authentic, accurate, and based on truth. What may have been accepted as correct in the past can later become outdated or inaccurate as new discoveries and developments emerge. This is why it is necessary to conduct regular validity and verification checks on the content being taught. For example, in social studies, historical interpretations in data may be revised as new evidence is uncovered. Ensuring the validity of content helps guarantee that what learners receive is truthful, updated, and aligned with the current body of knowledge. Another criterion in selecting curriculum content is interest. This emphasizes that learners are more motivated to learn when the subject matter captures their attention and connects with their lives. Content must engage learners by being meaningful, enjoyable, and relevant to their needs and experiences. It should not only spark curiosity, but also contribute to their overall welfare and development. For example, in English, teaching reading comprehension through stories that reflect students culture, hobbies, or daily experiences makes the lesson more interesting and relatable. A learner who enjoys basketball, for instance, may be more engaged when reading a passage about sports. By appealing to their interests, the curriculum not only sustains attention but also makes learning more effective and memorable. Another important criterion in selecting curriculum content is utility which refers to the usefulness of what is being taught. This criterion is relative to the learners who will use the knowledge or skill as well as to the element of time. Utility can be viewed in two ways. Current utility which emphasizes what must be learned for immediate application and future utility which prepares students for events and consequences they will face later in life. For example, in elementary mathematics, teaching learners how to compute percentages has current utility because they can immediately apply it when figuring out discounts in a store. On the other hand, teaching algebraic concepts has future utility because while students may not use it daily at present, it prepares them for higher studies in mathematics, science, engineering, and other fields. By considering utility in content selection, we make sure that what learners study is practical, meaningful, and beneficial both now and in the future. Another criterion in selecting curriculum content is learnability. This means that the level of complexity and difficulty of the subject matter must be aligned with the developmental level of the learners. Content should neither be too simple that it fails to challenge them nor too difficult that it overwhelms and discourages them. It must also be presented in a way that is appropriate for the learner's abilities and experiences. In addition, the content should be optimally sequenced and organized so that learning progresses from simple to complex or from concrete to abstract, making it easier for learners to build on what they already know. For example, in mathematics, it is important to teach the concept of whole numbers and the four basic operations before introducing fractions, decimals, or algebraic expressions. By ensuring learnability, the curriculum provides students with meaningful and achievable learning experiences that support both confidence and mastery. Another criterion in selecting curriculum content is feasibility. This urges curriculum planners to be realistic, taking into account the available resources, facilities, teacher expertise, existing policies, and even the amount of time allotted for instruction. It also considers whether there are opportunities for learning outside the usual classroom setup. Content may be important, but if it cannot be taught effectively because of limited resources or constraints, then it may not be feasible to include. For example, teaching advanced robotics in a public elementary school may sound exciting and valuable, but if the school lacks the necessary equipment, trained teachers, and sufficient time in the schedule, the content would not be feasible. On the other hand, introducing basic coding through free online platforms or unplugged activities becomes a more feasible alternative that still equips learners with essential skills. Feasibility ensures that what is included in the curriculum can realistically be delivered and learned. The next element of curriculum design is the learning experiences. These serve as the vehicle for attaining the objectives of the curriculum and are often referred to as the heart of the curriculum. Learning experiences include all the instructional methods, approaches, and strategies that teachers use to deliver the content and help learners achieve the intended goals. They go beyond simply knowing the subject matter. They provide opportunities for learners to actively engage, practice, and apply what they have learned. For example, in a science class, instead of only explaining the concept of photosynthesis through lectures, a teacher might design a laboratory activity where students observe how plants respond to light, or a project where they grow plants and record changes over time. These experiences not only make learning more meaningful but also ensure that students are directly involved in constructing knowledge and skills. In selecting and designing learning experiences, several considerations must be kept in mind to ensure that they are meaningful and effective for students. First, learning experiences must be aligned with the intended learning outcomes and the content to be taught so that activities directly contribute to achieving curriculum goals. They must also consider the developmental level of the learners making sure that the strategies and tasks are age appropriate and suited to their abilities. Practical concerns such as time, availability of materials, facilities, and teacher expertise also fall under feasibility and should be carefully planned. Effective learning experiences not only enhance the understanding of content but can also motivate students by making learning engaging and relevant. They should provide opportunities for both group interaction and independent learning, balancing collaboration with self-reliance. Moreover, they must be challenging enough to develop higher order thinking skills such as analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. Finally, they should encourage growth across the three domains of learning, cognitive, effective, and psycho motor to foster holistic development. For example, in an English lesson on persuasive writing, students may work in groups to debate a social issue, enhancing communication and collaboration, draft persuasive essays individually, developing independence and cognitive skills, and present their arguments orally, engaging effective and psychoot domains. In this way, well-designed learning experiences truly serve as the heart of the curriculum. The final element of curriculum design is assessment or evaluation. This includes the different methods and tools that provide important data on the outcomes of implementing the curriculum. Evaluation informs the teacher about the learner's progress and also reflects on the effectiveness of the teacher's methods. At the same time, it gives learners feedback on the quality of their own learning. Whatever form of assessment is used, it must always be aligned with the curriculum objectives or intended learning outcomes. Assessment may come in different types. Traditional assessments such as written tests or authentic assessments like projects, performances, and portfolios. For example, in an English class, a teacher may give a quiz on grammar, traditional and formative, require students to present a group speech, authentic and performance-based, and ask students to assess their peers delivery using a rubric. These varied approaches to assessment ensure a comprehensive picture of learning.