Boost Your Workflow: Microsoft Copilot for Faculty and Staff

Automate routine tasks and increase efficiency using Microsoft's generative AI tool

If your day is spent navigating the Microsoft 365 suite, Microsoft Copilot is a valuable AI resource built using OpenAI's large language model. Thanks to UMBC's enterprise license, the basic features of Microsoft Copilot Chat are available to all users free of charge, with information you type protected for Level 1 data. Once again, data at level 1 is considered non-public information. 

Common Use: Automating Administrative & Instructional Tasks Copilot integrates directly into your Microsoft 365 environment, making it a critical tool for boosting productivity and saving time on routine, high-volume tasks.

The Storyline: Productivity Multiplier 

• Email Management: A staff member drowning in emails and reports can instantly turn their day around with Copilot. Instead of reading a lengthy thread, they can ask Copilot in Outlook to: "Summarize this long email thread from the Dean's office and list all the outstanding action items".

• Instructional Efficiency (Faculty): A faculty member can save hours on course prep by using Copilot in Word to "Draft a syllabus outline for a 15-week introductory course". They can even use it to "Generate personalized, constructive feedback on this batch of student essays, focusing on clarity and argumentation".

• Data Analysis (Staff): In Excel, a staff member can ask Copilot to "Analyze the student performance data in this sheet and create a pivot table showing enrollment trends by department over the last three semesters".

Resources:

• Try Copilot: The free version of Microsoft Copilot Chat is accessible on the web at copilot.microsoft.com on Windows, macOS, and iPadOS, though it has some limits during peak business hours.

• Premium Option: For heavy integration into Word, Excel, Teams, or Outlook, the Microsoft Copilot Pro license is available for purchase (approximately $336 a year).

• Cloud Development: UMBC's cloud computing contract with Microsoft Azure (Open AI) provides advanced options for generative AI development.

• Copilot Success Kit

• UMBC Gen AI FAQ

• UMBC Copilot FAQ