<![CDATA[Purpose – This study examines how Al 'Ilmi, an Android-based learning management system, is incorporated into Islamic Religious Education (PAI) at an Indonesian vocational school and how platform acceptance is enacted in teaching practice and learner participation. Design/methodology/approach – A qualitative single-case design used interviews with 18 participants, comprising two PAI teachers, 12 students, and four school personnel, observations of six lessons, and analysis of 24 documents. Thematic analysis used the Technology Acceptance Model and Social Cognitive Theory as sensitizing perspectives. Findings – Four themes concerned the LMS as an extension of classroom teaching, perceived usefulness and ease of use, flexible study, and infrastructure and human-capacity constraints. Teachers combined classroom explanation with digital materials and practice tasks. Students valued access and opportunities to revisit content, although login assistance, unstable connectivity, and preparation workload constrained implementation. Favorable platform perceptions did not automatically produce independent learning, and the evidence did not establish sustained self-regulation or causal improvements in achievement or character. Research implications – Schools should pair platform adoption with teacher preparation, student orientation, and context-appropriate technical support. The proposed framework links technological functionality, pedagogical mediation, learner agency, Islamic value orientation, and institutional support. Its contribution is a bounded explanation of teacher-mediated digital PAI participation rather than evidence of causal effectiveness or long-term sustainability.]]>
