Copilot is the generative AI platform available to all students and staff at UWE. UWE has access to Microsoft’s premium data-protected version of the Copilot chatbot through its Microsoft education subscription. This version ensures that nothing you enter will be shared beyond UWE or used to train any AI models. This is not the case with other third-party tools (like Chat GPT), where you potentially risk having aspects of your work made available to others.
You can read more about why we use Copilot for learning and teaching here (UWE login required).
Staff should be educating students about Generative AI best practice, so making them aware of the difference between Copilot and other Generative AI tools is important as students are likely to be trying these things for themselves without necessarily being aware of the implications.
Being able to craft prompts that ensure that the results are at the right level and only consider the information the user wants to include is a key skill.
For example, the prompt ‘suggest an outline for a report on the benefits of generative AI’ would get a different response to the prompt ‘suggest an outline for a report on the pros and cons of generative ai aimed at students at HE level in the UK.
How is Copilot used for teaching and learning?
Copilot can support teaching and learning by guiding students in appropriate AI use. We can now use the platform across learning and teaching contexts, confident that it provides a consistent experience for staff and students wanting to work with text, images or code.
You may consider asking students to upload a piece of text to Copilot and developing different prompts to analyse the text, reporting back on what difference different prompts make to the output. Or may want to make your students aware of the benefit of using Copilot as a time saving tool, suggesting that they upload their notes and create a prompt to summarise the materials or questions to help them remember the content.
Here are some examples of prompts that might be useful to an engineering student, but these can be adapted to any subject:
- Design Project Ideas: “Suggest innovative design project ideas for a final year engineering student focusing on renewable energy solutions.”
- Research Topics: “What are some current research topics in mechanical engineering that have significant industry applications?”
- Career Guidance: “What are the key skills and certifications that can enhance employability for an engineering graduate in the UK?”
- Internship Opportunities: “How can I find and apply for engineering internships in the UK that offer hands-on experience and professional growth?”
- Study Resources: “Recommend some essential textbooks and online resources for mastering fluid dynamics.”
- Software Skills: “Which software tools are most commonly used in civil engineering, and how can I learn them effectively?”
- Industry Trends: “What are the latest trends in the UK engineering industry, and how can students prepare for these changes?”
- Networking Tips: “How can engineering students effectively network with professionals and alumni to enhance their career prospects?”
Key features
Copilot can help students draft, refine, and better understand complex topics, enhancing their engagement and comprehension. It needs to be used inline with the UWE Principles for using generative artificial intelligence and any college based guidance.
For staff Copilot is a valuable tool for creating customised content, preparing resources, and simplifying complex concepts, saving time and enriching the quality of teaching materials and it can be used to demonstrate some of the pitfalls of Generative AI.
When using Copilot you should always be aware of bias and inaccuracy. It’s important to always critically evaluate any information provided and use it responsibly. For further inspiration see the Creative use of AI in education open access downloadable resource.
Get started
You can access Microsoft Copilot through most supported web browsers. First, you need to access Office 365 in your web browser.
How to access Office 365 (students) – Login to my.uwe.ac.uk – Select Office 365 (at the top of the screen)
How to access Office 365 (staff) – You will already be logged into Office 365 if you are using the staff intranet, SharePoint pages, or Microsoft online apps (such as Word, Outlook and Excel). If not…Go to your Office 365 staff email
…Then access Copilot through your Office 365 app launcher
Select the Office 365 app launcher (usually the ‘nine dots’ button in the top-left of your screen)
Either select Microsoft Copilot from the drop-down list or:
Type Copilot into the Find Microsoft 365 apps search
Select Microsoft Copilot when it appears
Support
– he Library has put together support and guidance around using generative AI at UWE that you can find here:
You can access at the following links:
– UWE Principles for using generative artificial intelligence
– Generative AI study guidance (student-focused)
– How to search for and evaluate sources effectively
– UWE Bristol Harvard – Referencing
AI guidance on the intranet (staff only UWE login required)
Training
The library has developed a series of training sessions looking at various aspects of AI. Sessions are currently online and open to both students and staff to book onto (UWE login required).
These workshops have a pre-requisite ‘Introduction to generative AI at UWE’ which once you have attended, you will gain access to book onto the rest of the sessions which look at more specific uses in detail.