The growing complexity of the challenges faced by Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) in the transition towards a student-centred educational paradigm requires a sustained reconfiguration of pedagogical practices. In alignment with the professional development and educational excellence priorities established by the institutions that comprise inED (IPP, IPC, and IPVC), the EduCoopera action-research project aims to promote pedagogical innovation, inclusion, and the quality of learning through the intensive training of higher education teachers in Cooperative Learning (CL).

The intervention will be implemented collaboratively and across the three HEIs, benefiting from the scientific contribution of the Grup de Recerca en Atenció a la Diversitat (GRAD), at the Universitat de Vic–UCC (Spain), thereby strengthening the project's international and inter-institutional dimensions.

Moving beyond transmissive models of teacher education, EduCoopera is structured around training workshops based on the principle of pedagogical isomorphism. Within these collaborative self-development settings, teachers experience, as learners themselves, the dynamics and structures of the CA/AC Programme (Cooperating to Learn / Learning to Cooperate), subsequently promoting its pedagogical transfer to the design of their own course units.

The project is expected to have a direct impact on the professional development and pedagogical literacy of 40 higher education teachers across the partner institutions, as well as a multiplier effect on the socio-emotional and civic development of approximately 1,200 students.

Impact evaluation will follow a mixed-methods design. The qualitative component will involve focus groups aimed at analysing changes in teachers’ conceptions and the feasibility of implementing cooperative learning practices across different teaching contexts. The quantitative component will consist of a quasi-experimental study (pre- and post-test) with students, using the Cooperative Learning Scale (CLS), recently validated for the Portuguese higher education context. This instrument will enable the assessment of dimensions such as positive interdependence, conflict management, and group accountability.

The project is also committed to the principles of open science and to the dissemination of its findings through leading national and international forums dedicated to higher education research.