The teaching and learning of writing has become an issue in the English language teaching department to learners of English as a foreign language learners. The teaching and learning of writing is seen as a daunting task for both the teacher and learner. Learners are used to memorizing chunks of language and then entering writing examinations in which they are required to write (i.e. an essay) based on the given topic. This approach to learning only enables learners to pass in examinations and does not have any effect on their writing development. This could be depicted in other courses in which the learners perform poorly in written work. For this reason, a new syllabus that would meet the needs of the learners in this specific context was designed. This paper aims to reflect on the challenges faced in an academic writing course designed with a blended learning approach for pre-service English language teachers and thus, suggests ways in which such challenges can be dealt with by lecturers in higher education. The study was part of a larger action research project, where the process genre model in the teaching of English as a foreign language writing was employed in both classroom (pen-and-paper) and online work in the Turkish Cypriot context. The participants were also engaged in peer, collaborative and teacher written corrective feedback for both modes of instruction. Qualitative data was collected through keeping a research journal and individual interviews with the participating students. The results indicated that the students� experiences in previous writing courses were found to have an impact on their attitudes towards producing multiple drafts and online work. Collaborative work and peer feedback also proved to be problematic with adult learners. Teachers are recommended to be persistent and keep motivating learners as many students initially resist change but later appreciate the benefits. Keywords: Academic writing, innovative approaches, pre-service teachers, English as a foreign language, action research

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