The University of South Florida (USF), a high-impact research university dedicated to student success and committed to community engagement, generates an annual economic impact of more than $6 billion. With campuses in Tampa, St. Petersburg, and Sarasota-Manatee, USF serves approximately 50,000 students who represent nearly 150 different countries.
In 2023, USF became the first public university in Florida in nearly 40 years to be invited to join the Association of American Universities, a prestigious group of the leading universities in the United States and Canada. Through hundreds of millions of dollars in research activity each year and as one of the top universities in the world for securing new patents, USF is a leader in solving global problems and improving lives.
USF recognized the transformative potential of AI in streamlining academics and operations but knew that integrating it across all campuses—including its USF Health campus—could prove to be a challenge. The university embarked on a phased approach, partnering with Microsoft to implement Microsoft Copilot. This innovative tool helps to boost efficiency and unleash creativity, aligning perfectly with USF’s vision of leveraging technology to enhance academic and research productivity.
“We want our faculty to do groundbreaking research and we want our students to be successful,” says Chief Information Officer and Vice President for Technology at USF, Sidney Fernandes. “Using technology as an accelerator is built into our DNA. And our goal with these new technologies is to responsibly allow our faculty, staff, and students to be much more efficient, but also much more creative.”
Copilot for Microsoft 365—your AI-powered assistant
Copilot for Microsoft 365 is an add-on for AI assistance integrated with popular apps like Word, PowerPoint, Excel, Microsoft Teams for Education, Outlook, and more. It protects data, ensures privacy, and maintains security all while supercharging productivity.
With Copilot for Microsoft 365 you can:
- Integrate information from files created in one application into another application.
- Auto-draft content.
- Summarize online meetings and files.
- Analyze and explore data in spreadsheets.
- Simplify text and check for bias.
- Condense long email threads.
- Design impactful presentations with PowerPoint.
- Manage communication with Microsoft Teams.
Faculty, staff, educators, and students over the age of 18 can use Copilot for Microsoft 365.
New avenues of innovation
The arrival of Copilot for Microsoft 365 marked a turning point for USF. Faculty and staff could now seamlessly harness the power of AI within familiar tools like Outlook, Microsoft Teams, and Word. Tasks like answering questions, organizing thoughts, researching topics, generating summaries, crafting presentations, and analyzing data became effortless. Administrative burdens were lifted, allowing staff to focus on strategic initiatives and more meaningful work. Familiarity with existing workflows made adoption smoother and maximized benefits.
Copilot was not just a time-saver—it unlocked new avenues for innovation. USF staff and faculty were encouraged to “play with the tools and be bold,” as Angela Sklenka, USF’s Chief Administrative and Human Resources Officer, says. This fostered a spirit of exploration and a willingness to embrace the unknown.
Securing vital research
Data security was paramount, especially for a research-intensive university like USF. Microsoft’s commitment to commercial data protection ensured that user prompts and responses were never saved, and no interactions were used to train the underlying AI model. This transparency alleviated any concerns and allowed faculty and staff to embrace AI with confidence.
“Any Research One university is going to be concerned whether its data is protected and used in a way that the agencies who trust us with doing this research feel comfortable,” says Fernandes. “Copilot with commercial data protection allows us to have that level of comfort while also allowing the faculty and staff to be creative.”
Creating more efficient workflows
The impact of Copilot was immediate. Processes that once took weeks, like policy revisions, were now completed in hours. Repetitive tasks were automated, freeing up faculty and staff to delve deeper into research, build stronger relationships with students, and explore innovative paths for USF.
Tim Henkel, Assistant Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, uses Copilot to interact more efficiently with his documents. He can now extract information, create visuals, and brainstorm ideas—all within familiar Microsoft 365 applications. Copilot even helps him stay more present in meetings by generating transcripts and action items.
“Copilot is revolutionizing our workflows, teaching, and learning spaces,” Henkel says. “I can now invest more time in people. Copilot can handle the basics such writing style and mechanics, so we can grapple with the critical thinking and problem solving. That’s where the real learning comes in. Copilot is changing the way we do everything, and that’s a big deal.”
Read the full USF customer story to learn more about their exciting AI innovations.
Implement your own AI innovations with the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit
The Microsoft Education AI Toolkit is your guide to implementing safe and secure AI experiences in your institution. It helps lower the barrier of entry to using AI with examples, case studies, and getting started materials to help you evaluate and implement AI solutions like Microsoft Copilot.
The toolkit provides guidance on:
- Get started with generative AI: Refresh your knowledge of AI basics, discover Microsoft’s commitment to responsible tools, and meet your new AI assistant, Microsoft Copilot.
- Plan for success: Explore student resources, data governance tips, and advice on crafting institutional policies for ethical AI use.
- Dive into implementation: Experiment with Copilot’s capabilities using practice prompts and step-by-step instructions. Then, curate learning experiences to empower your staff’s professional development.
- Meet AI Navigators: Discover institutions leading the charge in AI research, experimentation, and implementation in education.
- Stay informed: Access an ever-evolving collection of research on AI’s impact on teaching and learning.
Microsoft Copilot is a versatile tool that adapts to your specific needs as an educator. Learn how to get started with Copilot by going to copilot.microsoft.com or downloading the iOS or Android mobile app. The most powerful way to experience what Copilot can do for you in the classroom is to try it out yourself! Here is a prompt to click to get you going. Notice what the prompt asks Copilot to do and how Copilot responds.
You are an education leader needing guidance on how to use generative AI responsibly and ethically.
Learn more about Copilot for Microsoft 365 with the Create and draft with Copilot for Microsoft 365 module on Microsoft Learn or the Get started with Copilot for Microsoft 365 learning path. Visit the AI for Education hub on Microsoft Learn to discover how you can use AI to empower teaching and learning in your classroom.
