Copilot - AI Teaching Tool
Microsoft Copilot brings the power of AI directly into the tools higher education professionals use every day—like Word, Excel, Outlook, and Teams. Built into Microsoft 365, Copilot helps faculty and academic staff save time, stay organized, and elevate their work through intelligent assistance.
Whether drafting syllabi, summarizing meeting notes, generating email responses, or analyzing data from student feedback, Copilot works behind the scenes to streamline repetitive tasks and spark new ideas. With natural language prompts, users can ask Copilot to rewrite content, pull insights from large datasets, or prepare polished presentations—right from within familiar apps.
Copilot supports the academic mission by giving faculty more time to focus on teaching, research, and student engagement—while reducing the digital fatigue that often comes with administrative demands.
How To Use It
Draft or Revise Syllabi
Quickly generate or polish course syllabi using prompts like “Create a syllabus outline for a 15-week psychology course.”Create Lecture Outlines and Presentations
Use Copilot in Word or PowerPoint to draft lecture content or generate slide decks based on your topics.Design Weekly Lesson Plans
Ask Copilot to organize learning objectives, activities, and readings into a structured plan.Summarize Academic Articles
Speed up your prep time by summarizing journal articles or course readings for your lectures.Reformat Content for Multiple Delivery Modes
Adapt your materials for online, hybrid, or in-person teaching with ease.Generate Quiz and Test Questions
Quickly create formative and summative assessments aligned to your course outcomes.Build Custom Rubrics
Draft assignment rubrics for grading or peer review directly in Word or Excel.Provide Personalized Student Feedback
Use Copilot to help generate thoughtful, consistent feedback for written assignments.Analyze Grades or Assessment Data
Ask Copilot in Excel to find trends in student performance or calculate averages and identify outliers.Write Announcements and Student Emails
Draft clear, student-friendly announcements for LMS or generate email replies based on ongoing student conversations.Summarize Email Threads or Class Discussions
Use Copilot in Outlook or Teams to condense back-and-forth messages into action points or summaries.Create Communication Templates
Develop reusable templates for weekly updates, assignment reminders, or office hour invites.Summarize and Follow Up on Faculty Meetings
Automatically generate meeting summaries, action items, and follow-up emails after department or committee meetings.Collaborate on Shared Documents
Co-write and edit course documents, research proposals, or reports with intelligent writing suggestions.Visualize Data with Charts and Graphs
Ask Copilot in Excel to turn raw student data or feedback into easy-to-read visuals.Summarize Mid-Semester Student Feedback
Analyze open-ended survey responses to find common themes or concerns.Refine Research Proposals or Academic Writing
Reword, summarize, or enhance clarity in grant proposals, conference submissions, or journal articles.Generate Citations or Reformat References
Ask Copilot to assist with citation formatting or reworking bibliographies to meet style guidelines.
Resources and Articles
Mastering Microsoft 365 Copilot in Education
Discover how educators at St. Francis College saved an average of 9.3 hours per week using Copilot for tasks like lesson planning and administrative work.
🔗 Read moreTop 10 Use Cases for Microsoft Copilot in Education
Explore practical applications of Copilot, including lesson planning, grading, interactive learning activities, and more.
🔗 Read moreUsing Microsoft Copilot in Education – Northern Illinois University
Learn how NIU integrates Copilot for summarizing documents, creating images, and more, enhancing both teaching and learning experiences.
🔗 Read moreMicrosoft Introduces Copilot Chat Agents for Education
Understand how institutions like Florida State University are utilizing Copilot Chat for course information, homework assistance, and data analysis.
🔗 Read more
