IntroductionThe Foreign Language Department(FLD)of Shenzhen University(SZU)incorporates several computersoftware applications into its writing sequence for undergraduate English majors.Computers not onlyhelp the students self-develop their writing skills but also free up the instructor’s time so he or she candevote more attention to the students’individual needs.The FLD writing program includes sequential courses taken during the four-year program.Freshmenstart out with the fundamentals,including sentence and paragraph construction.Emphasis is placed ongrammar and syntax as well as idiom and preposition use.During the sophomore year,students compose