Calliope is an online writing center, developed at the University of Antwerp. It is a modular platform where students can enhance their professional writing skills and get feedback and information on their writing process in different languages (Dutch, French and English).

Design and development
Liesbeth Opdenacker, Luuk Van Waes

Financing
Calliope is developed with the support of:
- Minerva [European Commission] (2003 - 2005, 2007 - 2009)
- UFOO [University of Antwerp] (2005 - 2006)
- OPL [Ghent University] (2005 - 2007)
- STIHO [Flemish Community] (2001 - 2003)

Concept
Calliope is constructed as a half-open environment that allows for different types of learners to create their own learning path. Learning objectives about process and product are set in advance, but various learning paths are available to meet those objectives: i.e. case-oriented or sub-skill-oriented (theory and practice).

The goal of this half-open structure is to allow students to go through a learning process that corresponds to their preferred learning profile. Students have to rely on self-regulation techniques and are to a large degree responsible for their own learning process. No matter which approach they choose, at the end of the session they have to meet the learning objectives defined in the opening screen of the module: they have to master the theory and they should be able to produce correct and strategic press releases.

We opted explicitly for a half-open environment that sustains the process approach to writing. It is not the end-product that plays a central role in our concept, but the process leading to it. This process approach becomes apparent at various levels (metacognition, text genre and writing profile) and it influences the way in which the content in Calliope is constructed.