Innovators vs. the Majority: A Sequential Mixed-Method Analysis of the Faculty Adoption Gap

The post-pandemic transition in higher education has exposed a persistent “faculty adoption gap” in the use of pre-recorded instructional content. This study investigates the structural and perceptual factors underlying this divide through a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design. The quantitative phase analyzes data from the SOULSS faculty survey (N = 258) using a behavioral adoption index and K-means cluster analysis, revealing a sharply bimodal structure: a large “Majority” of minimal or non-users (89.1%) and a small group of consistent “Innovators” (10.9%). A follow-up qualitative probe conducted in 2025 (N = 18) examines the mechanisms sustaining this gap. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model and Task–Technology Fit theory, findings indicate that resistance is driven primarily by structural constraints—specifically unrecognized time costs and restrictive institutional rules—rather than lack of skills or individual reluctance. The results suggest that the adoption gap reflects a stable institutional equilibrium rather than a temporary diffusion delay, with implications for policy design, workload recognition, and differentiated faculty development strategies in post-pandemic higher education.