We are excited to partner with Riipen, an experiential learning platform and marketplace for project-based learning. Riipen gives faculty the flexibility to embed experiential learning into courses and provides the tools for students to work as a team on real-world problems.

Riipen is available for all faculty, in all disciplines, working with students of all levels through in-class learning, online experiences and remote internships. Riipen offers end-to-end support, including course project ideation and design, technical support and student onboarding and matchmaking with industry partners globally.

What is experiential project-based learning?

Experiential project-based learning is a teaching method that involves students designing, developing and constructing hands-on solutions to a problem with a company or non-profit partner. Using project-based learning, students can build upon their creative capacity by working through real-world problems. Students typically work on these projects in small teams.

What is Riipen?

Riipen is the world’s leading project-based learning platform that empowers every student with employable skills. The platform enables students, educators and organizations to connect through real-world industry experiences. Students acquire skills valuable in the workplace and get to build their employer network, organizations improve their talent pipelines and increase authentic engagement towards their brand and educators provide better learning experiences for their students as well as grow their industry connections.

What is project-based learning?

Project-based learning is a teaching method in which students gain knowledge, experience and skills through the study and resolution of authentic, interesting and complex issues, problems or challenges in close collaboration with business or non-profit partners.

Why is project-based learning more important than ever?

As a student, in order to be successful in the job market after graduation, you will need experience and contacts, but also employable skills. Here is where experiential learning, also known as project-based learning (PBL) comes into full force.

Through meaningful collaborations with employers on projects, you have the opportunity to apply your knowledge and develop valuable skills through project work, while creating lasting connections that could make all the difference at the end of your studies.

Here is where Riipen comes in!

As part of our commitment to providing our students with quality project-based learning opportunities, we are excited to partner with Riipen, the leading experiential learning platform and marketplace for experiential learning.

A Riipen project or remote internship is a challenge or opportunity that an organization wants to explore that educators can embed into their course or provide you as a remote internship opportunity. You then work on the project to provide valuable insights, recommendations and deliverables to the employer.

What can Riipen do for you as a student?

Build and Nurture Your Professional Network – Access the Riipen network and connect with companies of all shapes and sizes through your courses or remote internships. Engage with large multinationals, local businesses, non-profits, governments, etc. in the Riipen marketplace and open yourself up to the possibilities of collaborating with companies outside of your network.

Gain Valuable Experience – Gain experience navigating a real workplace by working with actual employers on real-world projects embedded in your courses or provided as remote internships. These experiences will help you gain career clarity and find a job you love.

Build and Develop Employable Skills – Employers are looking for employees with technical knowledge, professional skills and soft skills, like communication and problem-solving. Learn and practice these skills that top employers value and look for to help you stand out.

Create and Build Your Virtual Riipen Portfolio – Complete projects and receive valuable feedback from real companies on the skills and knowledge you demonstrated while completing your projects on Riipen. Easily link to your Riipen portfolio on job applications and LinkedIn to showcase your quality of work to future employers.

How to get started:

Get real experience in a way that works for you.

Step 1:

Speak to your professor about bringing Riipen to your classroom, and create an account on Riipen using your email or LinkedIn account.

Step 2:

Join a project for your course or discover approved remote internship opportunities. Your course or remote internship program will be matched with one or more industry partners looking for your fresh insights and skills.

Step 3:

Work with the industry partner to complete a real-life project for their company. Use Riipen’s chat and milestones feature to communicate and track progress.

Step 4:

Exchange feedback with your industry partner and build long-lasting connections. Prove your skills and get verified feedback from real companies added to your virtual portfolio.

Riipen Academy for students

To better understand the entire process for in-class project-based engagements and remote internships, Riipen created a learning resource called Riipen Academy. More than just help articles, Riipen Academy will explain what is expected of you based on best practices and our users’ experience. From connecting to producing high-quality results, a host of topics are presented so that you can get the most out of the experience and the benefits of project-based learning.

Steps for Educators to Get Started on Riipen:

  1. Join the School Portal as an educator.
  2. Curious about how you can build an experiential learning opportunity into your course and start finding employers for your students? Click here to tell Victoria MacLean, our dedicated Riipen representative, about your course so she can help get you started!
  3. Riipen will set you up with a technical onboarding so you are comfortable with the platform and ready to connect your course.
  4. Once published to our marketplace, Riipen will get to work on matching your course with the best industry partners in our network of over 10K employers.
  5. You will approve the company projects that you want to pair with students.
  6. The students start working on the projects on a timeline you determine.

You have a team of people who will monitor your course proactively and reach out to offer support if you need it. If you need to get a hold of Riipen with any questions or concerns, you can email Riipen at [email protected] and a Customer Delight Specialist will be happy to help you.

Riipen Learning Management System Integration:

Riipen offers integration with all major learning management systems. Here are the step-by-step set up guides:

  • Blackboard
  • Canvas
  • D2L
  • Moodle

With this integration, an educator can link their course or internship program page in their LMS with their Riipen course page. Students in that course or internship program can access Riipen through their LMS without needing new credentials; an account is automatically created for them on Riipen through Single Sign On, and they have instantaneous access to the content their instructor has approved on Riipen.

Our integration also offers user role type recognition for all systems but Blackboard. This means both educators and students can access SSO functionality, and have the appropriate account type created for them

As a business, non-profit or community organization in our network, we are happy to offer you free access to Riipen – the world’s leading virtual project-based learning platform. Companies use Riipen to more easily access educators and student talent to work on a business challenge or look into growth opportunities through courses and internships.

Why use project-based learning?

Generate fresh ideas – Every business has projects sitting on the side of their desk. Work with our students to bring life to new ideas! With their fresh eyes, strategic thinking and innovative lens, students can help your business to grow.

Access talent – Get to know our students before you hire them. Complete short-term project-focused work that is faculty-supervised and let us show you what our students can do. Identify top talent to join your organization.

To be added to our portal, contact us at riipen.com/contact. To learn more about Riipen, visit riipen.com.

Overview:

Step 1: Sign Up

If you haven’t already received an email invitation, please sign up for Riipen using this special link: Join University Canada West’s School Portal on Riipen

As part of the sign-up, you’ll be walked through creating both a personal profile and a profile for your company, which you can invite colleagues to.

Step 2: Create a Project

In order to get connected to students, you will need to Create a Project on Riipen. Your project will be a description of what you would like students to do for your company.

If you are setting up your account based on an email invitation from Riipen, you may already have a draft project started for you! You can check this by going to your dashboard. In order to publish a project, you will need to click on the project, and then click on the “edit” button in the top right corner (pen/paper icon).

Step 3: View Available Courses or internships

After you’ve signed up using the access link, you will be able to see all of the courses and internships that are currently being offered at your partner institution. Click ‘Schools’ in your dashboard to see the school(s) you are working with.

Step 4: Apply to Work With a Course or Internship Program

If you see a course or internship program that looks like a good fit, click on “Submit Project” in the top right corner of the posting. This will prompt you to select a project that you have created.

It is also possible to browse courses and internship programs before creating a project. If you see a posting that you’re interested in, clicking on “Submit Project” in the top right corner will take you straight to the Project Wizard in order to create a new project from scratch.

“Three teams of students provided a professional marketing study of our Rotary club with the goal of increasing our public image and enhancing our membership. They were clearly a conscientious group who presented strong recommendations based on extensive research.”

Rotary Club of West Ottawa

“I am so proud of the students from UCW who we had working on the product launch for my company. They always showed up on time, eager to put to use the new skills they learned at UCW. The things I learned from them was immense. It was a fantastic experience and hope to do it again soon. Any employer would be delighted in the quality of these excellent students.”

Salubritas Health Group Inc.
“I was very pleased with the relationship we built together while students worked on several different types of marketing plans for my business. The instructor was exceptional to work with as well. It was a positive experience throughout.”
Memory Quilts by Marnie
“A very well run internship program that we will definitely be coming back to.”
BodyBuzz

Riipen at University Canada West

34
Courses at UCW Using Riipen
140
Company projects
3
Projects Per Course

As of the Spring 2022 Term.