M365 Copilot: The road to student rollout

As we prepare for the next phase of Microsoft 365 Copilot for students, the focus in Semester One will be on building understanding, confidence and readiness across our University community.   

Following engagement with students and colleagues over the summer months, Semester One will give Teaching and Learning communities more time to embed the University’s AI in Teaching and Learning Policy, while we continue to gather feedback and make sure students have clear, practical support for using AI responsibly ahead of wider M365 Copilot access in Semester Two.  

Students already have access to the University’s protected version of Microsoft Copilot via their browser and a wealth of tailored support and guidance online,which means there are no barriers to them getting started on Copilot at start of year.  

To make responsible use guidance easier for everyone to understand and act on, we have produced a responsible use video for students and colleagues alongside existing University guidance. We will also continue targeted communications and engagement with colleagues who support students day to day, including academic and Library colleagues and student-facing teams.  

The M365 Copilot conversation is coming 

Pop-ups and campus engagement events are planned for students and colleagues during Semester One, providing opportunities to ask questions, explore Copilot Chat and share feedback.  

Alongside this, we are growing our Student Advisory Group to bring a broader range of student perspectives into the programme and help shape our preparations for wider rollout. Furthermore, we are engaging with other Universities rolling out Copilot to their staff and students, sharing best practice as we navigate this change together.   

Our ambition remains to give students equitable access to University-supported AI tools, with clear guidance and support to use them safely and responsibly. Semester One gives us valuable space to prepare for wider Copilot access in Semester Twoto make sure the approach works for everyone.  

In the meantime, students can use Microsoft Copilot and colleagues can visit the Copilot SharePoint hub for the latest guidance, training and programme information.  

For more information  

Colleagues can access the Copilot Sharepoint hub for guidance and training to support you on your Copilot journey, while students can access the new student copilot support page. 

Remember, Copilot comes in many forms across the University. Think of Copilot as a team rather than a single tool.From the Copilot chat experience and Microsoft 365 apps, to custom agents tailored to specific capabilities and processes, each one has a different purpose and they all share the same goal: helping people achieve more with less effort.