Innovation in university science teaching through professional learning communities Layton Jaramillo, Soroya Elena Duarte Velasco, Óscar Germán Aguaded Ramírez, Eva María Carrrillo-Rosúa, Javier Professional learning communities Comunidades profesionales de aprendizaje Open innovation Innovación abierta Higher education Educación universitaria Experimental science teaching Enseñanaza de las ciencias experimentales Project TED2021-129474B-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033 and by the European Union NextGenerationEU/ PRTR and the UGR Department of Experimental Sciences Didactics. This paper analyzes the relationship between the development of pedagogical innovation projects in experimental sciences and the establishment and evolution of Professional Learning Communities (PLC) in higher education, within an open innovation framework. To achieve this, an evaluative study employing a mixed-methods approach was conducted, involving 93 members of the academic community–including faculty, students, alumni, and administrative staff–who collaboratively designed and implemented 15 pedagogical innovation projects across various scientific disciplines. The findings indicate that projects with a clearly defined pedagogical objective foster dialogue, reflection, collaborative work, and mutual learning, thereby acilitating the formation and evolution of PLC. In conclusion, open innovation and PLC contribute to transforming a culture of individualism into one of collaboration, ultimately enhancing the quality of higher education. 2025-03-11T07:28:48Z 2025-03-11T07:28:48Z 2025-03 journal article Layton Jaramillo, S. E., Duarte Velasco, O. G., Aguaded-Ramírez, E., y Carrillo-Rosúa, J. (2025). Innovation in university science teaching through professional learning communities. Journal of Technology and Science Education, 15(1), 142-161. https://doi.org/10.3926/jotse.3115 https://hdl.handle.net/10481/102973 10.3926/jotse.3115 eng http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ open access Atribución-NoComercial-CompartirIgual 4.0 Internacional OmniaScience