Work-integrated Learning (Educators)

Integrate industry projects into the classroom through Riipen

Florida International University is excited to partner with Riipen, a remote experiential learning platform and marketplace for work-integrated learning.  Riipen allows faculty to embed experiential learning into courses and provide students with experiences working as a team on real-world problems. Companies use Riipen to more easily access educators and student talent to work on a business challenge or explore growth opportunities through a fresh perspective.

Riipen is available to all faculty, in all disciplines, working with upper division students. These experiences are best incorporated into capstone or project-based courses. Riipen facilitates the matching process for work-integrated learning between students and employers. With Riipen, students can engage and collaborate with employers or partners in a secure environment, respecting the privacy requirements of external partners and FIU.

Riipen offers end-to-end support, including course project ideation and design, technical support and student onboarding, and matchmaking with industry partners across the nation. Riipen can also be integrated with Canvas which makes the platform easily accessible to students and offers project management and communication tools that facilitate collaboration.

Steps for Educators to Get Started with Riipen

  1. Complete an interest form here.
  2. Credentialing Learning will schedule a consultation to review your interest, determine eligibility, and provide access to the platform.
  3. Riipen will schedule a technical onboarding meeting to provide a virtual walk through of the platform and prepare you to connect your course.
  4. Once your course is published, Riipen will get to work on matching you with the best industry partners in the network of over 33K 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.

Integrating Riipen into your curriculum offers numerous benefits:

  1. Enhance Learning Outcomes: Students gain hands-on experience and practical skills.
  2. Build Industry Connections: Strengthen your network with industry partners.
  3. Improve Student Engagement: Increase student motivation through real-world applications.
  4. Streamline Assessment: Utilize the platform’s tools to simplify project assessment and feedback.

Educator Resources:

FIU regularly hosts interest sessions and one-on-one chats with Riipen. Contact Lilian Solorzano in Credentialing Learning at Lsolorza@fiu.edu to get more information.