May 28, 2026

New in Aktiv: Smarter and More Accessible Teaching Starts Here

We’re continuously updating Aktiv Chemistry to help instructors save time, teach more effectively and better support every learner.

Amy Hughes

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From AI-powered course creation to expanded accessibility and flexible course roles, explore our recent and upcoming feature releases that are designed to simplify your course preparation and elevate student learning this fall.

Ace Assignment Builder is pictured, showing the ability to upload a file.

Simplify course setup with Ace Assignment Builder (Beta) | March 2026

Switching platforms or teaching a new course? Upload your syllabus and let our AI-powered tool generate a full term of assignments in minutes. Spend less time on administrative work and more time teaching.
Learn more and look for an updated version of this feature in July 2026. 

View of a student login screen with "Student Helper" indicated for a course.

Streamline Course Admin with a Student Helper Role | April 2026

Empower your course assistants with early access to upcoming assignments. This new role allows student learning assistants to preview draft assignments and solutions for homework, practice and in-class activities, without exposing grade, quiz and test data.
Before July 2026, contact your Customer Success Manager to assign this role to a student in your course.

Arrows illustrate how a student would interact with dimensional analysis questions by clicking an input and then clicking to place it.

A New Way to Interact with Drag-and-Drop Questions | May 2026

An improved drag-and-drop input method makes dimensional analysis, ICE table and BCA table questions easier to complete. Users can click an item to select it and then click its destination to place it. This alternative provides a better mobile experience and is a step toward making these question types accessible.

Image illustrates how a student must enter a password before accessing a quiz.

Safeguard Academic Integrity with Password-Protected Quizzes | June 2026

Protect the integrity of your in-class quizzes, tests and exams. Instructors can now require a customizable password in order to verify that students launching an assessment are physically present in class.

Overlapping images show the transition from Aktiv's deep red theme to the new purple theme.

Customize your Interface with a Default Purple Theme and Color Selector | June 2026

Following last summer’s interface redesign, Aktiv Chemistry’s new purple theme is now the default look. Instructors and students can still personalize the platform with the classic dark red theme or dark mode in Account Settings. 

Illustration of an arrow drawing question with a blue outline around the selected figure used for selecting with keyboard navigation and a box that shows the text description that a screenreader will read aloud.

Lower Barriers with Accessible Questions for Organic Chemistry | June through October 2026

Many of Aktiv's question types are accessible, including the AktivGrid organic structure drawing, interpreting arrows, and organic nomenclature questions. Soon, more question types will carry the accessible icon, including: 

  • Addition of Arrows — June 2026
  • AktivGrid Select  — June 2026
  • AktivGrid Synthesis  — June 2026
  • Organic Conformations — July 2026

Building compliant assignments is easy. Simply filter the library to show accessible questions and add them to your assignment. Learn more about Aktiv Chemistry’s commitment to accessibility. 

A screen from the Ace Assignment Builder setup where an instructor can check boxes to include the types of questions they wish on an assignment that is then automatically generated for them using AI.

Customize Course Setup with Ace Assignment Builder (General Availability) | July 2026

We’re enhancing this feature to let you set custom parameters before Ace generates your assignments. A new button on the Assignments tab will also allow for quick access, so Ace can help you create new assignments after your initial course setup.

Aktiv course settings will enable instructors to assign student helper and co-instructor roles by entering their email to send invitations to the course.

Easily Assign Student Helper and Co-Instructor Roles | July 2026

Get early access by requesting the Student Helper role through your Customer Success Manager today. This enhancement will enable instructors to assign and manage Student Helper and Co-Instructor roles directly within Course Settings.

Curious about previous platform updates? Read about the Aktiv Chemistry features released last summer.

See How Aktiv Supports Chemistry Courses

Test out our platform with a free instructor playground account and access to our content library by scheduling a demo of Aktiv Chemistry.

Book a Demo

More Resources

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From the ACS Spring Conference to the College Classroom: Real Stories of Aktiv Chemistry in Action

At ACS Spring 2026, our team met with students and educators who shared inspiring stories about how Aktiv Chemistry supports learning.
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See why college students say Aktiv Chemistry reduces AI temptation, builds confidence, and improves learning through interactive practice and feedback.
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