Pedagogical Practice of Process-Oriented Writing Instruction Based on Intelligent Writing Platforms: A Case Study of the Applied Writing Course

Abstract

Applied writing courses in higher education hold strong pedagogical value due to their genre normativity and practical orientation but often face challenges like limited process guidance, delayed teacher feedback, and insufficient opportunities for revision. The emergence of generative artificial intelligence has introduced intelligent writing platforms as novel instructional tools, yet their pedagogical functions, implementation models, and potential risks in the classroom setting, especially as perceived by teachers, remain underexplored. Situated in the context of an applied writing course, this study investigates the role and significance of intelligent writing platforms for process-oriented writing instruction from teachers’ perspective. Adopting qualitative case study design, the research involved six university instructors who participated in the pedagogical practice. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews focusing on the teachers’ perceptions of intelligent writing platforms, instructional changes, and the benefits, challenges, and risks they perceived. The analysis centered on identifying and interpreting shared teaching experiences across the instructor group rather than emphasizing individual-level differences. The findings reveal that teachers largely adopt a cautiously positive stance, treating intelligent writing platforms as auxiliary scaffolding tools. When integrated into the pre-writing, writing, and post-writing stages, these platforms facilitate a transition from product-focused to process-oriented writing instruction. At the same time, their application prompts critical reflections on issues regarding writer agency, instructional design complexity, and assessment authority. The study suggests that the pedagogical value of intelligent writing platforms depends on teacher guidance within clearly defined instructional goals and boundaries.