Transactional schooling and consequential learning: The dual object model of engineering department culture

Background For organizational change efforts targeting propagation of reform teaching practices in university engineering education to succeed, there is a need to understand the interacting cultural systems governing teaching and learning. Previous studies have typically foregrounded either faculty, student, or classroom culture. Purpose We propose a cultural model based on third‐generation cultural‐historical activity theory to account for the complexity of interacting faculty and student activity systems across scales. This model can help educators understand the factors influencing engineering teaching and learning. Design/Method In a two‐year ethnography, the first author participated in a chemical engineering department at a research‐intensive university, serving as an instructor, attending community meetings and events, and interviewing subjects. Through the data collected, we analyze department and classroom activity systems to develop and illustrate key elements of the cultural model. Results We find that faculty and student subjects exhibit a dual object, simultaneously pursuing both transactional schooling and consequential learning . This finding suggests that rather than eliminating transactional schooling, we need to understand how transactional schooling and consequential learning interact. To that end, we identify contradictions between this dual object and other aspects of the nested activity systems. Classroom‐level activity systems are entangled, with students carrying cultural practices from one course to another. Conclusions In charting a path toward consequential learning, leaders should consider the dual object of activity through a systems lens spanning multiple scales. This cultural model can provide instructors and students with the support they need to productively resolve systemic tensions impeding their progress.