Built AI-native from inception, Thea is one of just two companies in the Higher Education category founded in the past five years with AI at the core from day one, as this year’s judges spotlight safe, purposeful AI use in the classroom

ARLINGTON, Va., Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As educators grapple with how AI should fit into the classroom, Thea, the AI-powered active learning platform, has been recognized for building exactly the kind of tool the classroom needs: one that helps students think rather than just handing them answers. Today, Thea announced it has been named a winner in the Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence: Back to School 2026, in the Higher Education category, honoring the products shaping the 2026-2027 school year. The annual awards program recognized more than 100 products and solutions from more than 80 companies across the Primary, Secondary, and Higher Education categories, with Thea named one of 17 winners in Higher Education.

Winners were selected by a panel of experienced educators, district leaders, and education technology experts. As Tech & Learning’s editors wrote in announcing the winners, heightened scrutiny of AI in schools “has forced the edtech community to be better. It demands that the tools we bring into the classroom are safe and built to inspire active creation rather than passive consumption.”

Thea was built AI-native from inception, with AI at the center of the company from its founding. Within the Higher Education category, Thea is one of just two companies founded in the past five years with AI built in from day one, making it among the newest and most AI-native honored this year. Thea is recognized in the Higher Education category alongside established names in education technology, including Instructure’s Canvas, Cursive by Blackboard, D2L’s Brightspace, Kahoot!, and Kaplan.

The Tech & Learning awards editorial team said: “The 2026 awards saw an impressive range of products and solutions designed to meet the evolving needs of today’s education sector. Our expert judges were particularly impressed by the quality, innovation and practical impact demonstrated by this year’s winners. Each winning product has shown its ability to support educators and learners in meaningful ways, and we’re delighted to recognise their achievements. Congratulations to all of this year’s well-deserved winners.”

Across the Higher Education category, this year’s 17 winners take on a wide range of needs facing colleges and universities, from course delivery and learning analytics to academic integrity, licensure exam prep, oral assessment, lab equipment, and digital course materials, spanning both software and classroom hardware.

Within that group, Thea’s focus is intentionally narrow: practice and mastery. Rather than expanding into course delivery, communications, or administrative tools, Thea does one thing for educators, helping students actively practice and retain material they’ve already been taught by asking questions rather than supplying answers. Each practice session is personalized and adapts in real time to a student’s responses, targeting the specific concepts they haven’t yet mastered rather than repeating material they already know.

What distinguishes Thea for educators is that it asks nothing of them beyond about two minutes. There is no IT setup, no cost, and no student accounts required. An educator creates a free account, uploads their own course materials, including past tests and study guides, which are used only to build practice content and are not made accessible to students, and shares a single link through their learning management system. From there, educators are seeing students arrive to class more prepared and confident, with the added peace of mind that comes from an AI tool built to discourage cheating rather than enable it.

“This recognition means a lot to us, especially heading into back-to-school season,” said Anthony Bruce, CEO of Thea. “It comes as we’re expanding our relationships with institutions around the world that are finding Thea helps improve pass rates and retention at scale. Being recognized by Tech & Learning alongside so many respected names in education technology is a meaningful validation of the work our team has put into building Thea.”

Thea has shown strong evidence of effectiveness in partnerships to date, with students improving their performance on course exams as well as industry certifications after practicing with Thea’s dynamic and personalized study tools.

Learn more about Thea’s work with colleges and universities at theastudy.com/for-institutions.

About Thea

Thea is an AI-powered active learning platform trusted by millions of learners and educators around the world. Rather than handing students answers, Thea asks questions, personalizing and adapting each practice session to guide learners to actively recall and apply what they know across any subject. The platform supports more than 80 languages, served its one billionth practice question in June 2026, and was named the best online study tool in 2026 by EdTech Breakthrough Awards. Thea partners with colleges, universities, and institutions worldwide to help improve pass rates and retention at scale, with partner institutions reporting improved performance on course exams and industry certifications.

Learn more at theastudy.com.

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SOURCE Thea Study