Microsoft Copilot is currently approved for use by all students, faculty and staff. It is accessible within PAWS.

What is Microsoft Copilot?

Microsoft Copilot is a Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) chatbot developed by Microsoft. It is powered by GPT-4 (Large Language Model) and Dall-E 3 (Text-to-Image Model). 

For more information on what GenAI is and how it can be used to support teaching and learning, see the GenAI webpage.

What is the purpose of Microsoft Copilot?

Microsoft Copilot is trained on real-world events and capable of searching publicly available sites and materials on the internet. Based on this training, the chatbot can be prompted to create and revise new text content, as well as generate images from textual descriptions.

Microsoft Copilot is currently approved for use by faculty, administrative staff, and graduate students only. It is accessible via PAWS under the channel name ‘Copilot’. (USask NSID login required)

Not what you’re looking for?

Why use Microsoft Copilot?

  • Microsoft Copilot serves as a “thinking partner” to generate ideas, written text, and images. For teaching and learning, it can be effective at generating ideas for learning outcomes, assessments, activities, teaching examples, and more.  
  • Microsoft Copilot references the sources it used when producing its responses.  
  • USask has an enterprise license through Microsoft. Access the tool via PAWS or log in directly using your NSID. 
  • Your data is protected when logged into the enterprise license. (Look for the green ‘Protected’ disclaimer beside your user icon.) 
  • No history of conversations is kept. User inputs and Copilot outputs are not used to train GenAI models. 
  • Microsoft does not claim intellectual property rights to either the user input or the Copilot output. 

Learning Technology Ecosystem (LTE) Principles

Microsoft Copilot most directly address these LTE goals: 

Accessible - Learning must be found easily at any time, and all learners and teachers have equitable access, regardless of culture, language, ability etc. 

Efficient and easy to use - Learners need to work in a system that is fluid and requires a minimum number of steps in systems that are intuitive and integrated.  

Best Practices

DO

DON'T

 Interact with Copilot as a thinking partner by prompting it to generate and give feedback on ideas. 

 Don’t use as a GenAI plagiarism detector.

 Use Copilot to help generate learning outcomes.

 

 Use Copilot to help questions and assessment tasks.

 Use an effective prompting strategy to get the results you're looking for in the least amount of time.

 Create new text content and proofread text. 

 Generate free-to-use images for classroom and academic presentations.

 Be extremely detailed and specific in prompting. Providing lots of context will give the best results.

 Verify the accuracy of the output. 

 Cite the use of Copilot when used to assist in creating academic materials. 

 Use Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome as your web-browser to access all features. 

Support for Microsoft Copilot

Technical Support

(Why isn't this working?)

USask IT supported

 

Training Support

(How do I learn to use this tool?)

USask IT supported

Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning supported

Vendor supported 
  • Email GMCTL for support in designing learning activities and assessments, consultations and related workshops.

Teaching Support

(How do I teach with this tool?)

Gwenna Moss Centre for Teaching and Learning supported
  • Email GMCTL for support in designing learning activities and assessments, consultations and related workshops.

Tool Evaluation

Technologies are evaluated based on their alignment with the Learning Technologies Ecosystem Principles.  Click to see explanations of each principle and a justification of the rating. You can also view a complete blank rubric to see more details or read about the assessment process.

Learning must be found easily at any time, and all learners and teachers have equitable access, regardless of culture, language, ability etc. 
More Information

Rating:

  • Accessibility standards:
    • Copilot is designed to work with screen readers. It uses text and speech to communicate with, and does not rely on visual cues or gestures. Responses are formatted in clear and structured ways, using markdown elements and code blocks when appropriate.

  • Cost of use for USask students:
    • Currently, Copilot is only available to USask faculty and staff. It is free of charge.

  • Platform/device:
    • Copilot can be within a web browser on a computer. It is also available within the Microsoft Edge app for iOS and Android and Microsoft Copilot app on Android.

  • Offline Access:
    • The core functionality of Copilot requires internet access.

Learners create and control spaces for learning, understanding and retaining ownership, and purposefully choosing how and when they share.
More Information

Rating:

  • Archiving, saving, and exporting data:
    • Copilot does not archive or save data. Any response generated can be easily copied and pasted into elsewhere (e.g., a Word document) to be saved elsewhere.

  • Data privacy and ownership:
    • Microsoft does not claim intellectual property rights to either the user input or the Copilot output.
    • Your data is protected when logged into the enterprise license.
    • No history of conversations is kept. User inputs and Copilot outputs are not used to train GenAI models when logged into the enterprise license.

  • Sign Up/Sign In:
    • Access via PAWS using your USask Microsoft account.

  • Customization:
    • n/a

Learners need to work in a system that is fluid and requires a minimum number of steps in systems that are intuitive and integrated.
More Information

Rating:

  • Interface:
    • The interface is very easy to use as Copilot utilizes a chatbot interface. You simply type prompts into a text field (or speak prompts using a microphone) and Copilot responds within the chat window.

  • Additional Downloads:
    • No additional download is necessary when using Copilot on a computer. Users should use Microsoft Edge or Google Chrome. On mobile, a browser app or standalone app is required.

  • Functionality:
    • Copilot functions well across all platforms.