Taking into account the changes proposed by the European Higher Education Era this paper presents an experience of educative innovation which is being implemented in the subject of “Training and Innovation in the Pedagogical Role” in the Faculty of Pedagogy at the University of Barcelona. Its main aim is to promote the meaningful and autonomous learning of all the students through both new teaching methodologies and learning assessment. At the same time, the teachers who are involved in this innovation have developed an action research in order to encourage both the learning of the students and the collaborative work among the teachers. On the one hand, this action research includes a serious work with different levels or stages which include a detailed design of the subject, its contents, reflexive and participative methodologies, and different ways of learning assessments (during and after the sessions). In addition, a careful subject schedule has been arranged with the different topics of the subjects which have been taught by eight teachers who have different levels of experience in the field of teaching (beginning teachers, teachers who have an intermediate level of experience and expert teachers). All of them teach to three different groups of students who are enrolled in the subject (each group has approximately 70 students) On the other hand, the research that has been developed is based on the belief that the teaching and learning process can be improved as long as the teachers reflect on their teaching practices in order to improve them (Schön, 1992; 1998) and are able to work in a team promoting this way a collaborative teaching culture (Antúnez, 1999). This means that the teachers through a cyclical and cooperative process assess their own teaching practices and introduce the necessary readjustments in the subject to optimize them. The research questions that guide this research are related to how to promote a better and meaningful learning in all students through a new design of the subject, new methodologies and ways to assess student learning and a collaborative teachers work that allow them to reflect on their teaching practices.

This research uses a qualitative approach whose purpose is to rescue the visions of both teachers and students who are implicated in this educative innovation. Specifically, as long as we are implementing the educative innovation, we are investigating about it to improve learning students; that is why this is an action research (Carr & Kemmis, 1998; Latorre, del Rincón & Arnal, 2003). The data has being gathered at the University of Barcelona during two academic years (2007-2008/2008-2009). Through non-participant observations within the classroom, discussion groups with students, analysis of the students’ teaching files and teaching professionals’ reflexive diaries, we are currently following up both the results of the project and the satisfaction of both the students and teaching professionals involved regarding the changes conceived and proposed. Finally, the content is being analyzed through the constant comparison method proposed by Strauss and Corbin (1990).

In this moment, we are designing the second year of this innovation. The main findings can be described around three central themes: a) We are developing a new subject approach which has entailed the use of collaborative and participatory strategies promoting this way a better learning among the students. b) As we are putting into action new ways of teaching, we have been able to work in a team whose members have been able to learn from each other. c) Work as a part of a team is sometimes very difficult as the teachers have their own teaching routines; in this case, the team involves eight teachers with different visions and experiences about teaching who must be very involved with the innovation.