Operation Copilot launched in September with over 220 faculty and staff participating. Throughout the semester, individuals reviewed a series of videos highlighting the power of Copilot within Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams, Meetings, and Copilot Chat. Each individual then explored how Copilot can be applied within their respective job responsibilities and provided insights via a feedback form in Canvas. Additionally, the cohort had some lively discussions via Teams. Over 100 participants have already completed all modules and will retain their license in the Spring.
The feedback from the training was overwhelmingly positive. Participants found the training pace manageable, as all modules were on demand videos approximately 15 minutes in length. Most users found Copilot really helpful- particularly in Outlook- but began exploring other applications as well.
The entire Internal Audit team decided to participate in the training together. We recently met with them to discuss how they are incorporating Copilot to help augment and streamline their work. Some examples include:
- Policy review and bench-marking
- Risk Assessment and planning
- Document review
- Revising tone and clarity in reports and emails
- Translate foreign expense receipts to English
- Identifying duplicate transactions, outlier data, and compliance issues in Excel files
Chandra McQueen, Director of Internal Audit, said, “I found the program highly effective in building confidence and understanding of how to leverage Copilot for productivity and innovation. The content was organized in a logical flow, and the examples were relevant and easy to grasp. I would highly recommend this bootcamp to anyone in the organization looking to maximize the value of Copilot. It’s a worthwhile investment that empowers teams to work smarter and more efficiently.”
We are accepting volunteers for our Spring cohort, which will begin in late January. To sign up, visit smu.edu/copilotbootcamp.
