Turkish Studies Educational Sciences Volume 14 Issue 6, 2019, p. 3273-3289 DOI: 10.29228/TurkishStudies.30206 ISSN: 2667-5609 Skopje/MACEDONIA-Ankara/TURKEY Research Article / Araştırma Makalesi A r t i c l e I n f o / M a k a l e B i l g i s i  Received/Geliş: 10.08.2019 Accepted/Kabul: 20.12.2019  Report Dates/Rapor Tarihleri: Referee 1 (06.11.2019)-Referee 2 (06.12.2019) This article was checked by iThenticate. EDUCATION OPPORTUNITY IN THE BALKANS: EXAMINATION ON BALKAN PROGRAMS AS OPEN EDUCATION Muhammet Recep OKUR * ABSTRACT Open education is an important structure in terms of providing individuals with the education opportunity independent from time and space. The 21st century has been an era that the access to information has been developed very rapidly by the possibilities offered by technology. Thus, the open and distance learning area has improved itself by not lagging behind the era. Open education has been practiced for many years within the country and has responded to the educational needs of the large masses. Thanks to previous experiences, open education programs were opened first in Western Europe then in the Balkans by Open Education Faculty of Anadolu University. The study examined the programs in Bulgaria, Kosovo, Macedonia, Albania and Bosnia and Herzegovina, which are among the abroad programs of Open Education Faculty of Anadolu University, in detail from different perspectives. Furthermore, the characteristics of the programs, matriculation, registration conditions, registration dates, education- learning structure, attendance conditions, registration opportunities for foreign students, assessment-evaluation, learning environments, and student support services were discussed in all dimensions. Based on the findings, it is recommended to increase program diversity and establish programs in different Balkan countries. In addition, different activities should be considered to introduce the open education programs and reach the target group. Also, it is thought that increasing the applications based on technological infrastructure in relation to overseas programs will provide significant advantages for both the institution and the student. It has been also seen that a significant technological infrastructure is used in learning environments. Lastly, it is proposed to introduce the online exam for assessment and evaluation activities. * Doç. Dr., Anadolu Üniversitesi, E-posta: mrokur@gmail.com