The two conference papers comprising this document address course development and assessment procedures used in distance education at the West German Open University. The first paper, on course design and development techniques used in distance teaching, reviews some of the techniques of course evaluation and course design that have been used in the Open University and emphasizes the importance of the relationship between the two. It starts by discussing methods used in the Open University's Science Foundation Course to strengthen this relationship, and concludes with a specific example of how a particular design prescription might be modified in the light of information collected. The second paper, on assessment procedures used in distance teaching, reviews some of the procedures that have proved to be of value in developing assessment material, primarily for grading purposes. The paper begins by stressing the need to identify the purpose behind any form of assessment used, and discusses the type of anomalies that can arise if this is not done. It then addresses the role that item analysis and behavioral objectives play in the development of assessment material. Each paper includes references. (GL)