Purpose: This study examines the influence of disciplinary differences and applied practices between architecture and engineering on students’ cognitive and affective responses to online education systems by employing the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). Design/methodology/approach: A questionnaire addressing the aimed TAM constructs is conducted with 483 architecture and engineering students. Partial least square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is used to test the direct and indirect relationships between students’ attitudes towards using (ATU), perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEOU) and system quality (SQ) based on disciplines’ diverse learning methods and approaches. Findings: This research shows that online education systems’ quality (SQ) influences students’ attitudes toward using (ATU) directly and indirectly. The strongest relationship is observed between system quality (SQ) and perceived ease of use (PEOU), proving that online education adoption is strongly linked to the environment’s quality where applied practices are conducted. Architecture students’ attitude is significantly shaped by the system’s visual and interactional attributes parallel to constructivist and experiential learning. Oriented towards multidimensional problem-solving, engineering students’ attitude is mainly influenced by their efficiency and productivity. Originality/value: This research contributes to the knowledge of technology acceptance in online education by exploring students’ attitudes and the less-examined differences between architecture and engineering disciplines. Emphasizing the impact of system quality on online education concerning applied practices, the study also underlines the possible shortcomings of the generalization of approaches. The findings offer insights into tailoring online education more inclusively and effectively by considering discipline-specific applied learning methods. © 2025, Emerald Publishing Limited.
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