Working with Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat

Benefits of using Copilot at work

The statistics below are taken form a Work Trend report which analyised the impact of Copilot had on organisation:

• 70% of Copilot users said they were more productive, and 68% said it improved the quality of their work

• 85% of users said Copilot helps them get to a good first draft faster

• 77% of users said once they used Copilot, they didn’t want to give it up

Enterprise Data Protection

When you sign in to Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat using your UoP work account, a green shield icon will appear at the top of the chat window. This icon confirms that Enterprise Data Protection (EDP) is active. With EDP enabled, your data is securely managed and protected.

Note: EDP is only active only when you are signed in with your UoP work account. Do not access Microsoft 365 Copilot Chat using a personal account as your interactions will not be protected by EDP. Personal accounts must not be used for any work-related activities.

The Microsoft EDP article contains more information.

Where does Copilot get its information from?

• Uses Bing to pull in current public information from the web​
• Reponses generated by Microsoft's large language models (LLMs)​
•  Uses a mix of licensed data, public websites and Microsoft content​

Sources Copilot does not use

• Copilot cannot access work related emails, files, Teams chats or University platforms​

Prompts 

• Prompts and responses are saved for a short period of time so you can review or reuse them.  Prompts are are not used to train the LLM model​

Using Generative AI Responsibly 

While generative AI such as Copilot offers powerful capabilities, it is important to understand its limitations and use responsible methods to avoid bias, misinformation, and privacy issues. Some ways to achieve this include: 

• Be transparent: maintain professional integrity by disclosing when content is AI-generated. 

• Check facts: even with the best prompt, AI can make mistakes; verify AI-generated content and linked sources, ensuring it reflects reality and avoids ‘hallucination’. 

• Evaluate language and tone: ensure responses are free from language or assumption that could marginalise any group. 

• Keep data secure: only AI tools approved by the UoP (eg: Copilot) should be used for university business purposes.  

• Maintain IP oversight: responses from generative AI may originate from the same sources which could provide challenges around intellectual property (IP). Ensure human oversight and refinement of AI content to track and verify source provenance and meet copyright requirements 

Using Generative AI: Information for UoP Staff

Generative AI for Teaching. Assessment and Feedback: Guidance for Staff

AI Meeting Assistants Responsible Use Guidance

Trainer-led Courses

Bookable trainer-led sessions will be available during each stage of the transformation project.  All sessions will be available to book on Docebo. 

Accessing Docebo

1. Open a web browser
2. Navigate to Docebo
3. Select the Blue Single Sign-on button
4. Select My Learning Plans
5. Select the Modern Work Programme Learning Plan: Windows 11
6. In this learning plan you will find trainer-led sessions that you can enrol on

If you need assistance finding these courses email digitalskills@port.ac.uk

Microsoft Training

Create effective prompts for generative AI training tools

Overview of Prompts

You can access Copilot from the following locations

Windows 11

1. Click on Start Menu
2. Search for Copilot
3. Select Microsoft 365 Copilot, and click on Open
4. Microsoft 365 Copilot will launch
5. To make it easier to access in the future, you can pin Copilot to your taskbar.  To do this right-click on the Copilot icon and select Pin.

Microsoft Edge

1. Open Microsoft Edge browser
2. A copilot logo will be shown in the top right corner
3. Click to open.  Copilot will be displayed in a panel on the right.

Office.com

1. Navigate to office.com and login
2. In the left hand panel click on the Apps Icon
3. The Apps screen will display, select Copilot
4. Select Copilot, the Copilot Chat App will appear in your left-hand navigation pane (right-click to pin)

Copilot Chat Interface

Images taken form Utilizing Microsoft Copilot Chat

Getting Started with Copilot

The instructions below are just to get you started. Please take the time to review the Instructions on creating prompts as this will ensure you get the possible responses from Copilot.

1. Type in a simple question in the Prompt box, some examples could include:
   • Best things about the University of Portsmouth
   • Where are the University of Portsmouth campuses?
   • Content to include in a web article on time management
   • Schedule for a site seeing tour in and around Portsmouth
2. Click the Send button
3. The responses will be shown along with a copy button and  prompts to refine the answer
4. Always check the responses you get from Copilot before using

Writing effective prompts

Creating effective prompts will help you get the most out of Copilot. The more information you include in a prompt the better the response will be. Below are a list of items that you could include in a prompt:  

• Start the prompt explaining your role e.g. I am a lecturer, I am a course administrator, I am a web developer etc.
• Explain what you would like, e.g. 4 paragraphs on xxx,  a table comparing theory 1 and theory 2 , a summary of no longer than 500 words with main points listed at the end, content for a 10 slide presentation on xxx, draft an email complaining to a supplier who have delivered the wrong order
• Identify anything you do not want to e.g. no bullet points
• Finish the prompt with use UK English

Tip: While it's important to include all relevant details in your prompt, providing too much information at once can sometimes confuse Copilot. A good approach is to start with a prompt that outlines the basic requirements. Once you receive an initial response, you can then ask for further refinements or add more specific details to guide the output.

An example of a prompt:

I am a marketing assistant at a University, create a 1500 word blog post about the advantages of attending university. Do not include any bullet points.  The blog post should be aimed at both parents and students.  Include a table with reasons why University of Portsmouth should be considered. This should conclude with the call to action to visit at least 3 universities.  Use UK language.

Prompt Gallery

The Prompt Gallery contains a catalogue of prompts created by Microsoft.  To view the Prompt Gallery:

1. Open Copilot
2. Click on the View Prompts icon which is just above the prompt box (star and square)
3. Use the filters to locate suitable prompts
4. Click on a prompt to use it

Creating and Saving Prompts

Saving your own Prompt's

1. Click in the prompt that you would like to save
2. Select the Save Icon (ribbon)
3. The Save this prompt dialogue box will display, type in a meaningful name for the prompt and select Save

Using Saved Prompt's

1. Click on the View Prompts link, it will display towards the bottom of Copilot and is a square with a star
2. The Copilot Prompt Gallery will display
3. Select the Your prompts tab
4. Your saved prompts will display click the one you wish to use

Reviewing previous prompts

1. On the right-hand side of the screen, you'll see a pane displaying your recent prompts
2. Click on any prompt to view the response you previously received
3. To continue refining the output, simply type your message into the Message Copilot text box and press Enter

Using Copilot to Summarise Meeting Documents

Copilot is excellent at summarising long documents such as email threads or meeting transcripts.

Meeting organisers are encouraged to generate the AI summary before sharing the full transcript. This ensures recipients receive a concise overview without needing to process the transcript themselves, reducing unnecessary AI processing and supporting more sustainable digital practices.

Below are some prompts you may want to include when instructing Copilot to summarise a meeting transcript

• Summarise this meeting transcript into key points.
• Give me a bullet-point summary of the main topics discussed.
• What were the main decisions and actions from this meeting?
• Create a short executive summary of this meeting.
• List all action items and who is responsible for each.
• What follow-up tasks were mentioned in this meeting?
• Extract all deadlines and assigned responsibilities.
• Summarise what [Name/Role] contributed during the meeting.
• Group the discussion points by topic or department.
• What were the key concerns raised by the academic staff
• Turn this transcript into formal meeting minutes.
• Generate a summary suitable for emailing to attendees.
• Create a post summarising this meeting.