Drivers of E-Learning Adoption in Undergraduate Acting Education

E-learning is increasingly central to higher education, yet its adoption in embodied, practice-led disciplines such as actor training remains under-researched. This study examines the determinants of undergraduate acting majors’ behavioral intention (BI) toward e-learning and evaluates a faculty-initiated Strategic Plan (SP) designed to address them. Using an explanatory sequential mixed-methods design integrating TAM3, UTAUT2, and Diffusion of Innovations theory, the diagnostic phase surveyed 100 students; Multiple Linear Regression identified Habit (β = 0.293), Perceived Ease of Use (β = 0.247), and Compatibility (β = 0.213) as the only significant predictors of BI, whereas Perceived Usefulness, Social Influence, Facilitating Conditions, and Hedonic Motivation were non-significant. A three-workstream SP—targeting interface usability, weekly micro-routines, and compatibility-by-design mapping—was then implemented with 30 third-year students over one academic term. Paired-samples t-tests showed statistically significant, large improvements on the three predictor constructs—Compatibility (dz = 1.479), Perceived Ease of Use (dz = 1.123), and Habit (dz = 1.012)—and on BI itself (dz = 0.950), while non-driver constructs showed no significant change. Semi-structured interviews with six students provided supplementary insight. The findings suggest that in studio-based performing arts education, light-touch, pedagogy-aligned interventions can meaningfully shift adoption-relevant perceptions without compromising the embodied core of actor training, contributing discipline-specific evidence to the technology acceptance literature.