SUPPORTING NOVICE AI AND CYBERSECURITY RESEARCHERS IN SCIENTIFIC WRITING:

Abstract

Teaching scientific writing to students in highly specialized STEM fields presents a challenge for English for Specific Purposes (ESP) instructors when they are not specialists in their students’ disciplines. This mixed-methods case study examined the perceived effectiveness of an Advanced Technical Writing course that used ChatGPT as pedagogical support for final-year Licence (Bachelor’s) students in Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity at Numidia Institute of Technology (NIT), an Algerian institute specializing in these disciplines. ChatGPT was used to develop discipline-relevant instructional materials, including examples, writing activities, and classroom exercises. Data were collected through a questionnaire completed by eleven students and semi-structured interviews with six faculty members (three supervisors and three jury members). Students reported perceived improvement in three areas of scientific writing: report organization, academic language, and preparation for final-year project writing. Faculty members also reported that the course allowed supervisors to focus on technical guidance. However, while students reported improvement in structuring scientific reports, faculty members identified difficulties in students’ final-year project reports, particularly in literature synthesis, critical comparison of studies, identifying research gaps, and methodological justification. Faculty members expressed concerns about students’ over-reliance on AI tools and its potential impact on their engagement with deeper research thinking. The findings suggest that scientific-writing instruction should combine guided practice, engagement with research articles, explicit teaching of research thinking, responsible AI use, and closer collaboration between ESP instructors and disciplinary supervisors. AI-assisted course design can support ESP teachers in specialized disciplines while highlighting the need to teach research thinking alongside scientific writing.