What's new in October 2026

Summary Report Improvements (Guided Experiences)

Educators and employers can now comment on uploaded summary reports, making it easier to discuss deliverables directly within a match. Project administrators and experience administrators also receive email notifications when a summary report is added or updated, with the option to manage these alerts through their notification settings. Comments become available once a summary has been uploaded.

Teams can now be manually marked complete

Employers, educators, and Riipen admins can now manually complete a started team from team settings for hourly-pay and unpaid projects, supporting cases where work finishes early or a final submission isn’t required. The team is treated the same as a regularly completed team: the completion date becomes the effective end date, reporting and team counts are updated, and relevant participants are notified, while learners can still edit submissions or submit a final submission if needed. For projects with automatic payments, remaining invoice work is also triggered, and users must provide a reason before confirming the completion.

Employers now receive a pre-match reminder

Project admins now receive a reminder seven days before a match start date, with the project timeline, how learners will join, communication expectations, feedback information, and cancellation guidance. The reminder isn’t sent when the match is created less than seven days before the start date or when the start date isn’t known because the team controls its dates.

Shared Feedback for Employers

Educators can now configure employer-to-learner feedback as Unique or Shared, allowing employers working with multiple teams to provide written feedback through a single match-level workflow instead of repeating it for every team. Shared feedback is distributed to completed teams, including teams that finish later, and learners can choose whether to publish it to their profiles. Shared feedback does not support competency ratings, star ratings, individual endorsements, or custom team-feedback questions, so educators should consider these differences when configuring their experiences.

Improvements

• Clearer automated match request messaging settings - The automated match request message settings now use clearer tooltips explaining when each message is sent and what employers may want to include. Existing hint text has been removed, the section description has been updated, and a Help Center link has been added for additional guidance.
• Experience duplication carries more content forward - Educators can now carry attachments and event content into duplicated experiences, reducing the manual setup needed for repeat or template-based experiences. The duplication modal also makes it clearer that dates, milestones, and event content are included.
• More consistent settings headers - Settings titles across experience and match settings now use the same 16px heading style used elsewhere in the platform, creating a more consistent settings experience.
• Shortlisted items are easier to spot - The Shortlisted status now includes an outline star icon across match request and application detail pages and tables, making shortlisted opportunities more visually distinct.
• Fixed unintended RSVP behaviour for scheduled events - We corrected an issue where scheduled experience events could inherit meeting RSVP behaviour in reminder or update calendar attachments, allowing learners to accept or decline events that were intended to function as milestones.
• Payment confirmation emails now separate payment sources correctly - When a payment uses both prepaid wallet funds and a credit card, confirmation emails now distinguish the total payment from the amounts paid through each source. This should make payment records clearer for employers and reduce confusion about what was actually charged to a card.
• Clearer messaging for import errors - We improved the error shown when someone attempts to import an existing user with an invalid user type. Previously, this displayed “email not valid,” which incorrectly suggested there was an issue with the email address.
• Improved employer deposit and invoice receipts - Employers now receive receipts when making project deposits or manually adding funds to their wallet. Invoice payment receipts also more clearly distinguish previously deposited funds from the amount newly charged to a card or bank account, making payment records easier to understand.
• Portal SSO is now supported more consistently through invitation and sign-up flows - Invitations to portals, experiences, and teams can direct users through the appropriate portal before authentication, helping users access that portal’s SSO experience. Portal sign-up pages now also display the portal’s SSO option when one is configured, rather than requiring users to navigate to sign in first.
• Clearer verification guidance for learners, employers, and companies - Verification pages now provide clearer guidance on what a verification is for and what users should expect before starting with a description field for each verification type.
• Guest audiences for resources - Resources can now be made available to logged-out guests, with Guest selected by default for new resources and Riipen default resources. Guest audiences do not use resource timing options.
• Work-log requirements for flat-fee invoices - Experience admins can configure logged hours as an invoice condition for flat-fee projects when work logs are enabled. This allows invoice submission to remain blocked until the required hours have been logged.
• Location filtering when browsing learners - Employers can now filter learners by location when browsing an experience’s learner cohort, making it easier to identify learners in a particular city or region.
• Responsive tables when switching screen sizes - Tables now respond correctly when moving between mobile and desktop breakpoints without requiring a page refresh.
• Updated Project template library - The project template library has been refreshed, with disused templates archived and a new, more tightly focused set of templates published to make it easier to find relevant starting points.
• Users can delete payment accounts - Users now have the ability to delete their own integrated Stripe payment account from the platform.
• Clearer Primary Payment Method Information - A new tooltip on company and portal payment method settings explains that only the primary card is charged, other saved cards do not affect payments, and changing the primary card applies to future payments. This helps clarify billing behaviour for users managing multiple cards.
• New Work Log Activity Type - Learners can now select "Design & Creative Work" from the activity type dropdown when logging work, allowing them to categorize creative activities more accurately.
• Clearer Work Log Duration Field - The "Time" field in the Log Work modal has been renamed "Duration", with updated guidance clarifying that users should enter how long they worked (hh), rather than the time they started.
• Improved Information Layout - Icons accompanying longer metadata on experience, project, and match pages now align to the top when text wraps onto multiple lines, improving readability.
• Updated Match Resource Guidance - The subtitle in Match Settings > Resources now refers to supporting "learners and administrators" rather than "learners and employers", making the guidance relevant to both educators and employers.
• Conversation Locking - Conversations can now be locked to prevent further messaging while keeping their history accessible. Certain conversations lock automatically based on their status or timing, including archived employer-learner and educator-employer DMs, declined/expired/cancelled conversations after 7 days, and certain completed match and team conversations after 30 days. Locked conversations are read-only.
• Mark Conversations as Read or Unread - Users now have more control over their inbox with the ability to mark individual conversations or multiple conversations as read or unread. These actions are available through the inbox on desktop and mobile, with additional options in the desktop chat overlay. Marking a conversation as read also clears its notification badges and cancels queued new-message notifications, helping users manage their inbox more efficiently.
• Experience Marketplace Restrictions - We've improved how experiences are automatically closed and when they can reopen, helping prevent unanswered match requests and matching beyond the permitted experience period. Experiences now close after 3 incoming requests expire unanswered within a rolling 30-day window, with a warning email after 2 expiries; educators can also see closure reasons and reopening requirements in their Marketplace settings. We've also implemented stricter rules for extending experience dates to prevent the same experience from being reused indefinitely for new matches.
• Resource Management Improvements - Resources now support collections, making it easier to organize and navigate materials across portals, experiences, matches, and teams. Resource pages have an updated layout with cards, collection-based navigation, and keyword search across titles, descriptions, and text resources. Resources can also be shared with multiple audience types, including logged-out guests where applicable, giving users more flexibility over who can access their materials.
• Expanded View-Only Educator Access - Educators with view-only match request permissions can now view shortlisted requests and access experience and employer-uploaded resources without receiving additional management permissions. Users with permission to create or edit match request notes can also tag educators who have view-only access at the experience or portal level.
• Improved Member Import Notifications - Existing users imported into portals or experiences now receive an email confirming their membership, extending the notification behaviour previously available for team imports. Imports configured with notifications disabled continue to remain silent.
• More Relevant Match Request Notifications - Match request email notifications have been adjusted based on educator permissions, reducing unnecessary emails to users who can view requests but cannot take action on them.
• Automatic Company Suspension for Moderation Flags - Companies flagged for inappropriate content during profile creation or updates are now automatically suspended pending Compliance review. Company members with Edit permissions receive an email explaining the suspension and how to contact Support if they believe it was made in error.
• Invoice Handling for Suspended Team Members - Automatically generated invoices for suspended team members are now placed in a restricted blocked state. These invoices do not trigger notifications to learners and cannot be unblocked by learners themselves, reducing confusion and unnecessary Support escalations.
• Improved Project and Experience Cards - Published project and experience cards now display an "Opened on" date when their status is Open, making important timing information more visible.
• Messaging and Notification Fixes - Fixed an issue where locked conversations could show unread notification badges that did not clear correctly. We've also removed unnecessary direct messaging actions from certain portal member views and cleaned up an unused action column for educators.
• Portal Data Export Fix - Fixed an issue that caused errors when users attempted to download portal data exports through the email link.
• Additional Interface Improvements - Refined the inbox and chat overlay layouts for clearer conversation previews and selection states, and corrected capitalization on the company verification page.
• Smarter Marketplace Matching and Request Tracking - Educators and employers now have better visibility into matching opportunities and their existing requests. Marketplace cards and experience/project views display when three or fewer matching spots remain, while new contextual links make it easier to revisit accepted or outstanding requests. Educators can also access a new My requests tab on projects where they have sent or received match requests, helping teams track matching activity more efficiently.
• Learner Location Eligibility Requirements - Experience administrators can now configure eligible learner locations, with requirements displayed on experiences and learner-facing cards. Learners whose saved profile locations do not meet the requirements are prevented from submitting join requests, while those without a location must update their profiles before joining a location-restricted experience. Dashboard recommendations also account for location eligibility, helping learners discover more relevant opportunities; invitations, access links, and administrator-added learners are unaffected by these restrictions.
• Improved Verification Navigation - Verification emails now direct users to more relevant destinations instead of the Riipen homepage. Experience-specific verification emails link to the corresponding experience's verification section, while global user verification emails direct users to a new Verification section in User Settings. This gives users clearer paths to review their verification status or complete the necessary actions.
• Redesigned Next Steps and Success Banners - We've refreshed informational banners across learner and employer team pages, application flows, success pages, and guest-facing pages. The updated designs improve readability on desktop and mobile, with expandable and collapsible content that keeps essential guidance visible while reducing clutter.
• Active Project Participation Limits for Learners - Educators can now set the maximum number of active projects each learner may participate in simultaneously through Experience Settings → Participants → Team Limits. The platform prevents learners from being confirmed on additional projects when doing so would exceed the configured limit, including when educators manually add or import learners. Completed and cancelled projects don't count toward the limit, and leaving the setting blank allows unlimited active participation.
• Bulk Shortlisting for Match Requests - Users with the appropriate permissions can now shortlist multiple match requests at once from the main match requests list and the match request tables within experiences and projects, reducing repetitive review work.
• Experience Filtering for Portal Surveys - Portal administrators can now filter survey replies and summary results by experience, making it easier to review feedback for individual experiences. The searchable filter persists between the Replies and Summary tabs.
• Better Portal Invoice Reporting - Portal administrators can now filter invoices by experience and view the total amount paid by their portal, accounting for completed refunds. Totals update with the selected experience, include payments across all invoice pages, and are displayed separately by currency.
• Expanded Feedback Visibility on Portals - Portal profiles now include separate Experiences and Learners sub-tabs within Feedback, allowing users to review feedback received for both experiences and associated learners in chronological order, with the newest first.
• Clearer Chat Notifications - Newly created conversations (excluding direct messages) now automatically display an unread notification badge on both the conversation and the chat icon at the top of the page, helping users notice new conversations before any messages are sent. Previously, users weren't notified until someone sent the first message. We've also fixed issues with notifications not clearing correctly and messages remaining unread after being opened or marked as read.
• Clearer Guidance When Creating Flags - Updated flag creation modals now explain that flags are intended for concerns about conduct, communication, or unmet expectations. Users seeking team reactivation, general assistance, or technical support are directed to Riipen Support through the existing support chat.
• Clearer Competency Settings - We've updated competency headings and descriptions in experience settings to distinguish between competencies used to evaluate learners and those used to evaluate employers. Portal competency settings also use clearer Learner Competencies terminology.
• Improved Team Member Counts - Team Members tabs now use a clearer counter showing confirmed members against the total number of confirmed and pending members.
• Easier Navigation from Project Templates - Educators editing project templates attached to experiences now have a clearer navigation path back to their experience settings.
• Less Noise in Match Request Conversations - Automated messages about milestone submissions, final deliverables, team completion, and published feedback no longer appear in Match Request conversations, keeping discussions focused on matching.
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