Microsoft Copilot

Microsoft Copilot is the University of Reading's primary supported AI assistant. Because it is integrated with our enterprise license, it offers commercial data protection, meaning your prompts and university data are not used to train external models.

Why Copilot is our Standard

When you log in with your university credentials, Copilot creates a secure boundary around your data. This is crucial when handling internal documents, departmental strategies, or anonymised student queries. Look for the green "Protected" shield icon in the top right of your screen to ensure your session is secure.

Document Summarisation

Use Case: Quickly understanding long reports or policy updates.

Example Prompt: "Summarise this uploaded 40-page PDF report on IT infrastructure changes. Highlight the top 5 key takeaways for staff and bullet-point the timeline for implementation."

Drafting Communications

Use Case: Overcoming blank-page syndrome for emails and newsletters.

Example Prompt: "Draft an email to all department heads announcing the upcoming scheduled maintenance for the university network. Keep the tone professional but reassuring, and ensure the dates (12th-14th August) are prominently displayed."

Integration with M365 (Word, Teams, Excel)

Depending on your licensing, Copilot is increasingly being woven directly into the applications you use every day:

  • Teams: Ask Copilot to summarise a meeting in real-time, generate meeting minutes immediately after a call ends, or track action items assigned to specific colleagues.
  • Word: Use Copilot to rewrite paragraphs for a different audience, generate initial document structures, or expand a brief outline into a full proposal.
  • PowerPoint: Ask Copilot to turn a Word document into a 10-slide presentation, applying standard formatting and generating speaker notes for each slide.

How to Access Securely

To ensure you are using the protected version of Copilot, follow these steps:

  1. Navigate to copilot.microsoft.com in your web browser (Edge is recommended for best integration).
  2. Click 'Sign In' and select 'Sign in with a work or school account'.
  3. Enter your standard University of Reading credentials.
  4. Verify: Look for the green "Protected" shield badge in the top right corner. If you do not see this, you are on the consumer version and your data is not secured.

Top Daily Use Cases

  • Document Synthesis: Upload a 50-page PDF report and ask Copilot to "Provide a 5-bullet executive summary focusing only on the financial projections."
  • Inbox Management: Draft initial, polite responses to routine staff or student queries, adjusting the tone to be formal, empathetic, or concise.
  • Meeting Efficiency: If you record a Teams meeting, use the Copilot tab to ask "What were the key decisions made?" or "What tasks were assigned to me?"
  • Content Generation: Brainstorm ideas for event schedules, workshop outlines, or engaging titles for internal communications.

Image Generation (Designer)

Copilot also includes access to Microsoft Designer (powered by DALL-E). You can generate custom images for presentations, internal newsletters, or intranet pages simply by describing what you want to see. For example: "Generate a flat-design, modern illustration in teal and dark grey of a university student studying on a laptop in a bright library."

Security Reminder

While Copilot is secure, always adhere to the University's data handling policies. Never paste highly sensitive, personally identifiable information (PII), or classified research data into any generative AI tool, even internally protected ones.

These pages are currently in beta. To give feedback, please contact DTS at ai.training@reading.ac.uk.