A growing number of students globally are enrolling in distance education programs and it is becoming important now, more than ever before, to design curriculum that reflects educational principles, represents elements of engagement and pedagogy and meets institutional and industry requirements. In doing so, it is vital to design contemporary curriculum that ensures these outcomes are attained. This paper adopts a narrative and integrative approach to advance the understanding of curriculum design practices, with particular relevance to distance education. In order to effectively design curriculum, this paper views the role of the educator as a conductor, technician and choreographer. Finally, a triad has been proposed comprising of pedagogy, technology and an engaged community of learners as a basis for ensuring curriculum meets contemporary practices.