A July 2024 Forrester report commissioned by Microsoft found that education institutions using Azure OpenAI Service saw improved student outcomes, streamlined operations, and increased access to technology. By Year 3, they are expected to boost content generation efficiency by 30% to 60% and improve chatbot resolution rates by 20% to 50%, driving positive impacts on graduation and employment rates.

As AI adoption accelerates, institutions must also prioritize trust by focusing on scalable security, data privacy, and governance measures. Microsoft supports this transition with AI solutions that integrate built-in protections, addressing risks such as prompt injections and bias, while maintaining data privacy and compliance to safeguard institutions.

Join us as we explore five key use cases of generative AI in higher education, along with examples of institutions that have successfully implemented AI to deliver more equitable and personalized student experiences.

1. Around-the-clock real-time campus support

As student expectations evolve, meeting their demand for around-the-clock support has become a critical factor in student satisfaction and institutional efficiency. For example, Tecnológico de Monterrey’s TECgpt is an AI platform that offers quick access to information like tuition, scholarships, and campus services, allowing users to retrieve personal details, such as scholarship status, within minutes.

Similarly, the University of South Florida improved response times and reduced staff workloads by automating IT ticketing with Azure OpenAI, launching an AI-powered Help Desk in just one week. The University of Hong Kong has also deployed several Azure OpenAI-powered chatbots to handle IT queries, administrative tasks, and course selection, freeing staff to focus on more complex issues. Education leaders are automating routine tasks and delivering personalized academic assistance at scale, boosting retention and accelerating graduation rates while streamlining operations.

I can invest more time in people now that I don’t have to worry about those recurring repetitive tasks because people are what it’s all about. It is revolutionizing all our workflows, our teaching, and our learning spaces quite rapidly. With Copilot, we’re able to do things bigger, better, but also equitably across the university space. It’s changing the way we do everything, and that is a big deal.

Tim Henkel, Assistant Vice Provost for Teaching and Learning, University of South Florida (USF)

AI innovations are reshaping how institutions engage with students by offering around-the-clock support for inquiries about housing, student life, and campus services, significantly enhancing the overall student experience. These AI tools also provide personalized academic and career guidance, helping students select courses, optimize degree plans, and receive tailored advising.

Additionally, AI-powered virtual assistants streamline the financial aid process, guiding students through eligibility requirements, deadlines, and submissions, ensuring timely completion. Through AI integration, institutions can deliver responsive, student-centered services while improving operational efficiency, ultimately enriching the campus experience.

2. Personalize learning experiences at scale

In an environment where institutional success depends on student engagement and outcomes, personalized learning is becoming a strategic priority. With Data Science in Microsoft Fabric and Azure AI Services, institutions can integrate real-time data analysis from their LMS, leveraging AI to customize lessons, content, and pacing based on student performance.  AI tutors provide personalized, instant feedback, helping students make continuous progress and tackle challenging tasks with confidence. These tools empower institutions to deliver adaptive learning tailored to each student’s needs.

The Azure OpenAI Service provided remarkably high-quality hints generated by GPT-4 from a robust and scalable API that reliably handled heavy loads from hundreds of students working simultaneously near homework deadlines.

John DeNero, Faculty Director and Associate Teaching Professor, UC Berkeley

Universities around the world are leveraging AI to improve student outcomes and streamline administrative tasks. At the University of Sydney, the Cogniti platform utilizes AI teaching assistants to tailor feedback and adjust learning paths, boosting student engagement and academic success. IU International University of Applied Sciences in Germany offers an AI study buddy, Syntea, with always-available multilingual support and enhanced student engagement through personalized feedback. It also reduces course completion times by 27%, all while seamlessly integrating across platforms like myCampus and Microsoft Teams.

Similarly, UC Berkeley’s 61A-Bot, a specialized AI assistant powered by Azure OpenAI Service, has significantly enhanced student learning by providing real-time support and reducing homework completion times in their computer science courses. As institutions worldwide adopt AI-driven solutions, education leaders are transforming both learning personalization and operational efficiency, driving significant improvements in student success.

3. Accelerate learning for all with multi-language support

AI improves educational access by offering multi-language support through real-time translation, note-taking, and content delivery, enabling all students to engage fully in their preferred language. Flexible learning options allow students to review materials at their own pace, while chatbots offer seamless language transitions and targeted support to enhance comprehension and engagement.

By utilizing the advanced language models in Azure OpenAI Service, Cool English is taking an innovative step for English education in Taiwan, helping students reach their learning goals and overcome the challenges of limited opportunities for real-life conversational and writing practice.

Dr. Hao-Jan Howard Chen, Professor, Department of English at National Taiwan Normal University

This potential is already being realized through initiatives like National Taiwan Normal University’s “Cool English” platform, powered by Azure OpenAI, which has helped over 1.4 million students enhance their English skills through adaptive, conversational practice. Similarly, the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) developed a multilingual chatbot to help EFL students write essays in English, offering seamless language switching and personalized guidance outside class hours. Powered by Azure OpenAI’s advanced models, the chatbot provides feedback and answers questions to help students improve their writing without generating essays for them. AI-powered language tools help create inclusive learning environments, enhance student outcomes, and attract a diverse international student body.

4. Accelerate academic research

AI is transforming academic research by accelerating discovery and innovation, and automating tasks like literature reviews, data analysis, and report generation. In April 2023, Microsoft Research launched the Accelerating Foundation Models Research (AFMR) initiative to accelerate the use of large-scale AI models in academia. Through Azure AI Services, AFMR provides universities with access to powerful foundation models, supporting research in fields such as healthcare, scientific discovery, and multicultural empowerment. With over 200 projects in 15 countries, AFMR is building a global AI research community.

If you have a really good idea, it’s very hard to just search the literature and try to find everything. This is sort of like having a super adviser, a brilliant astronomer with an encyclopedic memory who can say, ‘Well, that could be a very good idea and here’s why,’ or ‘That’s likely a bad idea and here’s why.’

Alyssa Goodman, Robert Wheeler Wilson Professor of Applied Astronomy, Harvard University

Universities are harnessing foundation models to accelerate scientific discovery and hypothesis generation. A collaboration between astronomers at Harvard University and The Australian National University has led to the development of an astronomy-focused chat application that utilizes GPT-4. This tool draws from over 300,000 astronomy papers, helping researchers extract key information and analyze data to develop new theories.

At Georgia Tech, researchers are utilizing Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service to analyze global EV charging data, uncovering insights for policy development and improving infrastructure reliability to support sustainable and equitable EV adoption. With AI solutions like Azure OpenAI Service, higher education institutions can automate repetitive tasks, improve collaboration, and scale research efforts, all while ensuring data security and focusing on high-impact academic work.

5. Trustworthy AI for education

There is a critical need for organizations to deploy AI responsibly. As AI transforms education, decision makers must ensure these systems are secure, private, and fair. A key strategy is to choose AI platforms with built-in safeguards, like content filtering and bias detection. For example, South Australia’s Department for Education successfully piloted EdChat, an AI chatbot powered by Azure AI, which protects 1,500 students across eight schools from harmful content while empower educators to focus on the benefits.

Equally important is the protection of sensitive student information. With built-in features to safeguard text content, including moderation and groundedness detection, institutions can ensure responsible AI deployment while protecting student data with enterprise-grade security and robust privacy measures to prevent breaches.

Key principles of trustworthy AI:

• Security: AI systems must be resilient against threats.
• Safety: AI must operate reliably in sensitive environments like classrooms.
• Privacy: Protecting personal data is essential to maintain trust.

AI is not just a tool—it’s the catalyst for a new era in education. By enhancing student support, personalizing learning, and accelerating academic research, AI empowers institutions to break down barriers, expand access, and create more inclusive and innovative learning environments. Those who embrace AI today will lead the future of education, building adaptable, forward-thinking institutions focused on student success.

The question is no longer if AI should be integrated, but how quickly it can be implemented to unlock its full potential. The future of education is here—is your institution ready to lead it?

Ready to transform your institution with AI? Partner with Microsoft to unlock new possibilities and drive educational success:

• Explore how AI can empower your institution.
• Download the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit.
• Use this Microsoft Learn Collection to explore, build, and deploy AI solutions with Azure AI Studio.

The post How higher education is reimagining student experiences with Azure OpenAI Service appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

This October, many education institutions are celebrating Cybersecurity Awareness Month, an effort to encourage actions to reduce online risk and generate discussion on cyberthreats both nationally and globally. This year’s theme, “Secure Our World,” helps organizations consider the importance of taking daily action to reduce risks when online and using connected devices. To assist your efforts, we’re sharing three tips for IT professionals on ways to boost cybersecurity in your school community.

As an IT professional, your role is vital in protecting sensitive school data, securing devices, and maintaining safe learning environments. Microsoft cybersecurity solutions like passwordless multifactor authentication (MFA), Defender for Endpoint P2-Students, and Copilot for Security are designed to help you defend your school’s devices and data. Additionally, information from the latest Cyber Signals report can assist in creating a secure environment that persists through any cybersecurity challenges that might arise.

Assessing the cyber signals in K-20 education

The latest edition of Microsoft’s Cyber Signals report covers cybersecurity challenges facing classrooms and campuses everywhere and the urgent need for robust defenses and proactive security measures. The digital footprint made by schools, colleges, and universities has multiplied exponentially—from virtual classes to classified research stored in the cloud—requiring IT professionals to remain vigilant and focused on emerging cyberthreats.

Education continues to be one of the most targeted industries for cyberattacks and social engineering exploits that trick people into disclosing personally identifiable information (PII). According to the report:

• Education was the third most targeted industry for cybercriminals over the past three months. The US had the greatest threat activity.
• Over 15,000 phishing messages with malicious QR codes were sent each day to people in the education sector.
• Higher education institutions encounter an average of 2,507 cyberattacks each week.

These signals reinforce what you already know: the education community is the “tip of the spear” for cybercriminals because of its data-rich environments, legacy infrastructure, and the security risks created by people who are often extremely busy. Despite these hurdles, there are steps you can take to strengthen your institution’s security posture. Discover a few tips that you can implement today.

1. Secure all accounts with passwordless MFA

K-12 schools, colleges, and universities are increasingly adopting passwordless MFA as a more secure way to protect accounts when people like young students don’t have a phone or secondary device. The solution uses MFA techniques and a temporary access pass (TAP) for verification, eliminating the chance of a weak, overused password becoming compromised.

Passwordless authentication also helps create efficiencies and saves you time. Your students, faculty, and staff don’t have to remember complex passwords, and you spend less time resetting passwords when they are forgotten.

PII, such as social security numbers (SSNs) in the US, are attractive for cybercriminals to steal from K-12 school districts because the relatively little-used SSNs of a child might be usable for widespread fraud well before the identity theft is detected.

Cyber Signals Issue 8, October 2024

Microsoft Entra ID can enable passwordless MFA for everyone at all education levels using device-bound services like Windows Hello that aren’t transmitted or stored on outside platforms. This type of MFA involves sharing a TAP that onboards students to passwordless sign-in methods. Even if a cybercriminal steals a TAP, they can’t access the account on another device because of the device-bound requirements.

By adopting passwordless MFA, your school or institution can enhance overall security and also meet the stringent requirements for cyber insurance. K-12 schools can also take advantage of funding opportunities like the FCC’s $200 million Cybersecurity Pilot Program for schools in the US.

To get started using passwordless MFA for students, check out these resources:

• Empowering secure and seamless learning: Learn more about using MFA without a smartphone and leveraging passwordless device access instead.
• Passwordless authentication options: Explore the different methods available for Microsoft Entra ID.

2. Secure student devices with Defender for Endpoint P2-Students

Students face cyberthreats when they use a connected device, browse the Internet, or check their messages—even if the cyberthreats aren’t apparent to them. Cybercriminals are pivoting to new attack methods like using QR codes to deliver malware through email and even campus fliers. This opens new security loopholes because QR codes are often scanned with unprotected personal devices.

Recently the United States Federal Trade Commission issued a consumer alert on the rising threat of malicious QR codes being used to steal log-in credentials or deliver malware.

Cyber Signals Issue 8, October 2024

You can ensure secure learning experiences with Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2-Students. This highly discounted, comprehensive solution secures endpoint devices with industry-leading, multiplatform threat detection and response. It works in concert with Microsoft 365 to stop phishing, ransomware, and malware even if the attacks originate from a nontraditional method like a QR code image. With Defender for Endpoint P2-Students, you’ll be able to:

• Detect and prevent threats.
• Disrupt attacks automatically.
• Offer more secure web browsing.
• Encrypt device data and protect privacy.
• Maintain security with continuous updates.

By implementing Defender for Endpoint P2-Students, your school can significantly enhance its cybersecurity posture while giving students the protection they need to learn in a safe digital environment.

Explore this tool in more depth in Defend against threats with Microsoft 365, a learning path designed to help you use Microsoft Defender to the fullest.

3. Extend your threat-fighting capabilities with Copilot for Security

Cybercriminals often target sensitive financial, health, and personal data stored by schools and institutions alike. The consequences of a data breach in higher education are particularly worrisome—many universities handle federally funded research and sensitive intellectual property that’s valuable to nation-state actors. Unauthorized access not only puts institutional security and reputation at risk, but it also can have implications for our nation’s security when the data is part of a defense contract or when the research involves intellectual property from a company sponsor.

The types of threats that we’re seeing, the types of events that are occurring in higher education, are much more aggressive by cyber adversaries.

David McMorries, Chief Information Security Officer at Oregon State University

Copilot for Security can help you discover, analyze, detect, and remediate your organization’s cyberthreats. Simply ask Copilot a question, and it will return an actionable response in seconds that helps you tackle common security tasks. Copilot for Security allows you to effortlessly and seamlessly:

• Analyze threats.
• Learn about security incidents.
• Generate profiles of threat actors.
• Summarize threat intelligence.
• Create policies and configure devices.
• Discover users who might be at risk for data exploitation.

By integrating Copilot for Security into your daily operations, you receive customized guidance based on signals from each of your security tools and Microsoft’s industry-leading threat intelligence. It also minimizes much of the research and legwork that goes into investigating and remediating cybersecurity issues which saves you time so that you can focus on other IT responsibilities.

Use the Get started with Microsoft Copilot for Security learning path on Microsoft Learn to discover how Copilot for Security helps IT professionals address end-to-end cybersecurity scenarios. Looking for ways to empower your student-led security operations center (SOC) with security AI? Check out these best practices for maximizing the potential of your student-led SOC with Copilot for Security.

For Cybersecurity Month 2024, explore Microsoft solutions like passwordless MFA, Defender for Endpoint P2-Students, and Copilot for Security to help you stay ahead of emerging threats. To build practical skills, dive into learning paths for IT professionals to gain in-depth knowledge about all of our cybersecurity, compliance, and identity solutions. These tools and resources can support you in securing your school’s digital infrastructure and creating a safer learning environment one step at a time.

The post Three tips for IT professionals for Cybersecurity Awareness Month 2024 appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Dyslexia Awareness Month 2024 offers an opportunity to recognize the strengths that come with dyslexia and to empower those valuable skills in classrooms. Join us as we honor the unique strengths and power of Dyslexic Thinking.

Understanding Dyslexic Thinking

Of the more than 7 billion people on earth today, 1 in 5 are dyslexic. This genetic difference in an individual’s ability to learn and process information gives dyslexics a pattern of valuable strengths, referred to as Dyslexic Thinking skills. Dyslexic Thinking is an approach to problem solving, assessing information, and learning that involves:

• Pattern recognition
• Spatial reasoning
• Lateral thinking
• Interpersonal communication

Understanding how to nurture and empower Dyslexic Thinking is fundamental to the fabric of the future.

Rethinking human intelligence

Studies show that dyslexic thinkers are highly sought after by employers, especially as we enter the fifth Industrial Revolution, a phase of industrialization where humans can use AI to create more sustainable, human-centric solutions. Dyslexics excel in creative thinking, complex problem solving, and effective communication, making them ideal contributors in this era.

Made By Dyslexia have made it their mission to teach the world the brilliance of Dyslexic Thinking and to empower it in every home, every school, and every workplace. Their ground-breaking report, “Intelligence 5.0: A new school of thought rethinking the intelligence needed in Industry 5.0,”concludes that today’s world needs a different kind of intelligence focused on human skills such as complex problem solving, adaptability, resilience, communication, and creative thinking. These are skills dyslexics naturally possess but aren’t measured by traditional education and workplace tests which instead focus on dyslexic challenges.

In this report, Made By Dyslexia advocates for a shift in how we define intelligence. This new paradigm, Intelligence 5.0, emphasizes skills frequently found in dyslexic thinkers, like leadership, creativity, and problem-solving, which are increasingly in demand in the modern workplace.

We all need to rethink the human intelligence needed in the 5.0 world. Creativity, problem-solving, and communication are the most sought-after skills in every job, in every sector, worldwide. And these skills are inherent to dyslexics.

Kate Griggs, Founder & CEO, Made By Dyslexia

Key findings from the report

Dyslexics have the intelligence the world now needs. The headline research from the report reveals that one of the world’s largest recruitment firms, Randstad Enterprise, finds that Dyslexic Thinking skills are the most in-demand skills in every job, across all sectors, globally. Yet, despite this, outdated views on intelligence remain.

In the same report, global research with YouGov found that although 73% of people recognize that problem-solving is a good indicator of intelligence, nearly half still believe that accuracy of reading, spelling, punctuation, and grammar are also key signifiers of intelligence. Traditional assessments typically disadvantage dyslexic thinkers, whose strengths areas aren’t well-measured by standardized tests.

Interestingly, just 6% of global respondents believed that scoring highly in exams was the best indicator of intelligence, with only 5% believing high scores on psychometric tests are a strong indication of intelligence.

In this report, Made By Dyslexia sets out four key steps that schools and workplaces can take to better recognize and amplify Dyslexic Thinking skills.

1. Define dyslexia as a valuable skill.
2. Offer support and adjustments so Dyslexic Thinking can thrive.
3. Tailor testing and exams (or recruitment processes) for Dyslexic Thinking.
4. Offer support and community through employee resource groups (ERGs) in the workplace.

Intelligence 5.0 calls for a new way of thinking that prioritizes human skills, especially those inherent in Dyslexic Thinking. By recognizing and empowering these abilities, we can create a more inclusive, equitable, and innovative future, one where dyslexic thinkers are celebrated and empowered to lead the way.

Tools and resources to support and celebrate Dyslexic Thinking

Microsoft digital learning tools

Educators and families can support the unique needs of dyslexic thinkers with Microsoft’s digital learning tools. These tools, integrated into familiar Microsoft Education products, offer a range of benefits, including:

• Personalized practice: Tools like Reading Coach and Math Assistant in OneNote help students develop essential skills in reading, writing, and math through tailored practice and feedback. These tools empower students to practice independently while helping increase engagement and confidence.
• Real-time feedback: Educators can monitor student progress and offer personalized support with Education Insights. This tool provides valuable data and analytics to help educators make data-informed decisions to support each student’s unique abilities.
• Accessibility features: Tools like Immersive Reader and Dictation are specifically designed to support students with learning differences, creating an inclusive environment where all students can thrive.

Learn more and get started with tools to support Dyslexic Thinking using these handy quick guide PDFs:

• Digital tools for dyslexia quick guide
• Reading Coach with AI stories quick guide
• Reading Coach in Immersive Reader quick guide
• Immersive Reader quick guide
• Speech to Text (Dictate) quick guide

In addition, watch the video to discover how the dynamic partnership between Microsoft and The Prince Couple’s Foundation in Sweden offers non-stigmatizing technologies to help all students reach their full potential in school and beyond.

Dyslexia training, in partnership with Made By Dyslexia

Learning differences call for different teaching approaches. In partnership with Microsoft, Made By Dyslexia offers a series of free, transformative modules on Microsoft Learn that help educators explore how to support and celebrate Dyslexic Thinking in their classrooms. These training courses, led by expert educators from schools known for their innovative dyslexic strategies, are designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge to support dyslexic thinkers:

• Dyslexia Awareness, Parts 1 and 2: Learn how to spot, support, and empower every dyslexic learner with essential strategies to identify and nurture their strengths.
• Dyslexia Teaching, Parts 1, 2, and 3: Deepen your understanding of dyslexia with specialist strategies showing you what to teach, why it helps, and how to apply skills and proven approaches to support dyslexic learners in your classroom.
• Dyslexia and technology: Explore the challenges dyslexic learners face and discover technology tools from Microsoft to support them.
• Empower Dyslexic Thinking in Schools: Learn about the seven archetypes of Dyslexic Thinking in kids with practical tips and instructional guidance.

For Dyslexia Awareness Month 2024, join us in celebrating the unique strengths of Dyslexic Thinking. Create inclusive classrooms where every student can thrive and explore the ways to support dyslexic learners in your classroom with help from Microsoft and Made By Dyslexia.

The post Celebrate the strengths of Dyslexic Thinking appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Over the last few years, schools underwent tremendous change by adopting hybrid learning and new tech tools for teaching, learning, and working. However, schools face increasing challenges with outdated software and ever-increasing cyberattacks that threaten the security of sensitive and important data, targeting student personal information, login credentials, school operational data, and more. It’s a daunting security landscape as the education sector regularly makes up over 80% of the reported malware encounters in any 30-day period.

Let’s take a deep dive into some of the real-life challenges that primary and secondary education institutions have faced and learn how they solved them.

Harnessing secure AI tools to transform education

Bad actors are constantly testing the fences of educational IT networks looking for vulnerabilities. Because of this, the Fulton County school district in Georgia, US, put plans in place to monitor, detect, and mitigate these potential cybersecurity threats. The district also wanted to modernize data collection to showcase student performance and operational efficiency data in near real time.

The district’s plans involved advanced Microsoft security features through a Microsoft 365 A5 educational license, which gave them the tools to address cybersecurity risks. They also transformed their data-driven decision-making with dynamic analytic insights using Microsoft Power BI. Additionally, the district maximized its existing Microsoft licenses and migrated to an end-to-end platform that spans on-premises, cloud, and hybrid environments, which suited the institution’s complex needs.  

Newington College, a primary and secondary-level boarding school in Australia, experienced a cybersecurity incident that catalyzed their need to improve the security and management of education technology while revolutionizing the way students and teachers engage and collaborate. For Newington, the greatest success lay in the efficiencies gained and benefits realized across the Microsoft stack by simplifying the deployment and support model across the environment. This process has become a catalyst for enhanced engagement, collaboration, and student success—helping the IT team stay on the front foot of opportunities.

Many school districts are embracing technologies they deem beneficial for educating students and supporting how faculty work. In fact, 68% of educators and 95% of education leaders have already used AI for school-related purposes. Wichita Public Schools in the US is one such example. Because no two students learn in precisely the same way, Wichita Public Schools started looking into the many ways Microsoft Copilot with enterprise data protection can help educators bring a greater diversity of tailored learning experiences into the classroom.

Students are also using AI-powered tools to enhance their learning and literacy. The Stour Academy Trust, located in Southeast England, tested two powerful Microsoft Education tools—Reading Progress and Reading Coach—to boost literacy and help readers succeed. Features in Reading Progress leverage AI to generate and personalize reading passages and assessments, which significantly reduces an educator’s workload while addressing student’s specific needs.

The Stour Academy Trust beta-tested AI-enabled Reading Coach to further enhance student reading fluency. When added to Reading Progress assignments, Reading Coach identifies words that are most challenging for each student and gives them a supported opportunity to practice the words again. One of the most exciting features of Reading Coach is the ability for learners to co-create their own personalized reading experiences utilizing responsible AI. Due to their success, Reading Coach and Reading Progress continue to be introduced across the Stour Academy Trust so that all educators can see how these tools fit into their classroom practices.

Our final case study takes us back to Australia, where the South Australia Department for Education is empowering students and teachers with responsible AI in the classroom. The Department has harnessed the power of AI to build and trial a chatbot that has been designed specifically for teaching and learning. ‘EdChat’ is the first chatbot of its kind in Australia and one of the first in the world to be introduced in an educational setting.

The chatbot was designed in partnership with Microsoft and uses Azure OpenAI Service, powered by the same technology as ChatGPT. Students can enter prompts to get information on a topic, ask for creative suggestions or analyze complex ideas. EdChat proved extremely helpful in allowing students to access vast amounts of information quickly, and have this information synthesized into simple, easy-to-understand language.

These are just a few real-life examples of how specific Microsoft products have helped in primary and secondary education. However, there’s something even bigger that Microsoft offers that every school should consider for meeting their needs.

The most comprehensive value for education

The Microsoft 365 A5 license offers a comprehensive solution tailored for schools, blending essential security, management, productivity, and learning tools. There are three highlights that separate Microsoft 365 A5 from others. The first is the ability to implement a Zero Trust approach across your entire digital estate with Microsoft’s suite of security products. The second is simplified endpoint management that gives you the power to deploy endpoints from the cloud and streamline support of student devices. The third is that Microsoft 365 A5 offers AI-powered instructional tools and advanced accessibility features, enabling new patterns of working and learning in today’s environment.

In a Forrester report from 2023, the composite education organization using Microsoft 365 A5 licenses saw a 118% return on investment or $4.2M over 3 years, $1.7 million reduced downtime for educators and IT staff, and a 30% reduction in licensing costs with vendor consolidation.

Microsoft 365 A5 empowers you to support your school community—from enhanced security and access control, comprehensive cyber threat protection, and streamlined data governance and security, to efficient classroom management and collaboration. Microsoft 365 A5 is one of the best choices that every school should consider when looking to enable secure teaching, learning, and working for all.

Reimagine education with AI

Microsoft is committed to security, privacy, and compliance across everything we do, and our approach to AI is no different. Microsoft’s approach to Responsible AI is grounded in a set of core principles and practices that we believe should guide AI development and use. With that in mind, perhaps the most exciting application currently is Microsoft Copilot, allowing you to leverage AI to provide personalized suggestions, accelerate routine tasks, offer real-time feedback, and more. Additionally, Copilot also offers enterprise data protection to help safeguard your information. Simply tell Copilot what you want to create, and it will help you generate new content in seconds.

Additionally, Microsoft Teams for Education leverages AI to enhance learning outcomes and streamline collaboration. Educators can leverage AI to help draft rubrics, assignment instructions, learning objectives, and more. With Reading Coach—a popular Learning Accelerator available in and outside of Microsoft Teams—learners can create unique AI-generated stories by choosing characters and settings from a curated collection of options.

There are additional ways that Microsoft can help meet your school’s needs. You can protect against student endpoints through the recently released student Defender for Endpoint. You can also step up your security by leveraging AI and machine learning to provide real-time threat detection and response with Microsoft Sentinel.

Overall, from productivity and learning to security, Microsoft is ready to help provide the most value to you and help you realize transformative benefits for your school.

Now is the time to transform your school

Microsoft 365 Education is a significant step toward meeting the demands of your school and empowering students and teachers to do more. By leveraging Microsoft’s robust tools and resources, educational institutions can create more secure and connected learning environment.

• For an overview on Microsoft 365 licensing, see the Microsoft product licensing page.
• Visit the Microsoft Education Cybersecurity solutions page to learn how our solutions help protect your school’s information.
• Empower everyone in your organization to be a cybersecurity champion with cybersecurity awareness resources and training.
• Learn how you can get started with free AI tools from Microsoft Education.
• Reference the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit to deploy and implement Microsoft AI Solutions.
• Learn more about Microsoft Copilot and ways you can use it to save time and energy.
• Explore quick Learning Accelerators demos and leverage these powerful tools in your classroom.

The post Transforming education in the age of AI with a unified solution appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

AI-powered tools to support educators

For educators seeking inspiring and innovative instructional strategies, Microsoft AI tools provide much needed assistance. Explore how these tools can help you save time, personalize learning, and renew your passion for teaching.

• Microsoft Copilot can help you generate engaging content and individualized suggestions, freeing up more time for direct student interaction. For added data protection, sign in using your school account. Use Copilot to create personalized content and tailored feedback based on a student’s unique learning requirements. You can also get suggestions for activities, resources, and assessments aligned with learning objectives or a rubric that you can attach to get recommendations specific to your classroom needs. Copilot is available at no cost with your school account and is accessible in Windows, Edge, and on the web.
• Copilot for Microsoft 365 gives you the power of Microsoft Copilot integrated seamlessly into the Microsoft 365 apps you use every day, like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook. Try generating creative writing prompts, translating languages, or summarizing complex topics in Word. It can also help streamline lesson planning by creating slides in PowerPoint on any topic or from any file, saving you valuable prep time.
• Microsoft Teams for Education is packed with AI features to help you set up your classroom for success. Streamline grading with AI-powered rubrics that adapt to student responses, allowing you to spend less time grading and more time supporting your students’ learning. You can also create comprehension questions tailored to the individual needs of your students or generate modules and descriptions for your class based on the subject, grade level, and learning objectives.

Discover more ways to use AI to support your instructional practice this school year:

• Empower your classroom with the knowledge to navigate AI responsibly by integrating the AI Classroom Toolkit into your lessons. It helps educators to teach students aged 13-15 how to use AI tools effectively through critical conversations and hands-on activities that build skills like fact-checking, data privacy, and mental wellbeing.
• Build fundamental AI skills with your learners in the engaging world of Minecraft Education. AI Foundations is a new AI literacy program that includes bite-sized animated videos that explain AI to learners ages 8 and up, free teaching materials and parent guide, and an imaginative new Minecraft world called Fantastic Fairgrounds where players solve problems and explore careers with AI (available in both Minecraft Education and Bedrock Edition on the Marketplace).
• Khanmigo for Teachers is an AI-powered tool that helps you generate fresh lesson ideas, personalizes student assignments, and explore resources so you can enhance your knowledge and stay current on content area topics. Created by Khan Academy and powered by Microsoft Azure OpenAI Service, Khanmigo for Teachers is available for free in English across more than 40 countries.
• Learn more ways to use Copilot in your classroom from the Microsoft Education blog post “Meet your AI assistant for education: Microsoft Copilot” and download the Microsoft Copilot Quick Guide to get started today.
• Explore the training course “Enhance teaching and learning with Microsoft Copilot” to learn how to use Copilot, design effective prompts, and analyze results.

Improved efficiencies for school leaders and staff

School leaders and staffs’ days are often filled with administrative tasks like responding to emails, attending meetings, and filling out paperwork. Microsoft’s AI-powered tools and resources offer support in managing day-to-day responsibilities, helping to enhance efficiency and streamline operations. Discover how these solutions can help you optimize workflows, improve communication, and focus more on fostering a positive school community.

• The Microsoft Education AI Toolkit is designed to guide school leaders through the process of integrating AI into their school’s operations and building robust plans for your organization. This toolkit offers you insights in how others are leveraging AI-powered technology, access to a collection of the latest research on AI in schools, and supports the latest information on Microsoft’s AI technology designed for education.
• Copilot for Microsoft 365 can transform how you handle time-consuming everyday tasks like emails and meetings. Use it to summarize long email threads and draft suggested replies in Microsoft Outlook. You can also use it to summarize key discussion points in Teams meetings, helping you keep track of action items and follow-ups. Try saving time by creating professional looking slides for staff meetings or board meetings.
• Copilot in Power BI offers advanced data analysis capabilities, allowing you to generate insightful reports, visualizations, and narrative summaries. Just describe your desired outcomes, and Copilot will deliver, making it simpler to track student performance, present insights, or conduct research. This intuitive tool helps you communicate data insights clearly, supporting informed decision-making and enriching the learning experience. By consolidating data into a centralized environment and leveraging Power BI’s advanced analytics, educational institutions can gain near real-time insights into student performance and operational efficiency, saving hours of manual labor through automated data processes.

Explore more ways to use AI to enhance operational efficiencies. Check out the AI learning hub on Microsoft Learn to help you skill up and use the power of AI to transform your work.

Enhanced operations and security for school IT teams

School IT teams play an important role in ensuring the smooth operations of school technology systems. Microsoft’s AI tools provide robust solutions to support IT professionals in managing security, data, and overall IT infrastructure efficiently. Learn how these tools can help you enhance cybersecurity, streamline data management, and improve IT operations.

• GitHub Copilot is an AI-powered assistant designed to help IT teams write code faster with fewer errors. It suggests code completions and generates entire code blocks, allowing you to automate repetitive tasks and focus on more complex issues. With GitHub Copilot, you can improve your development workflows, enforce code consistency, and reduce the time spent on debugging and code reviews.
• Microsoft Defender helps IT teams amplify security through advanced, comprehensive endpoint protection with AI capabilities. Defender promotes school safety by filtering harmful content and protecting sensitive data through robust encryption. School IT teams can use Microsoft Defender to increase their efficiency while securing schools at scale. Likewise, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students extends this industry-transforming technology to student devices, neutralizing malware and phishing attempts to safeguard your school from cyberattacks. Should an attack occur, Microsoft Defender for Endpoint P2 – Students’ automated response swiftly isolates compromised devices, minimizing damage and maintaining control.
• Copilot for Security further empowers IT teams with AI to help defend at machine speed. When integrated with Microsoft Sentinel, Copilot can summarize vast data signals into key insights, cutting through the noise to detect cyberthreats before they cause harm. Copilot can generate incident reports suitable for non-technical audiences, such as your school board, and identify user risks or generate access policies. This helps you respond to incidents in minutes instead of hours or days. Pricing for Copilot for Security and Sentinel is usage based and available as an add-on to Microsoft 365 academic licenses.

Learn more about how AI can support your IT teams:

• Discover how to better respond to security threats in this Microsoft Copilot for Security training module and uncover the steps to making the most of this AI-powered security analysis tool.
• Find out how to use AI to streamline your work with GitHub Copilot in this Microsoft Learn Official Collection.

Whether you’re an educator seeking innovative instructional strategies, a school leader aiming to improve efficiencies, or an IT professional focused on enhancing cybersecurity and data management, Microsoft’s AI-powered solutions are here to help. With tools like Microsoft Copilot, Microsoft Teams for Education, and Copilot for Security, your school can achieve these goals and more. Equip your school with the AI tools it needs to thrive this school year, and focus on what truly matters—supporting and engaging your students, family, and staff.

The post Power your school year with AI solutions for educators, leaders, and IT teams appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

“That’s one of the best uses for AI in an academic setting,” Evans says, “because sometimes you can read a paragraph five times and still not understand until the concept is explained in a different way.” 

Generative AI is opening up all sorts of new avenues for learning, from personalized tutoring to study guides. But as with any technology, it’s helpful to know its strengths and limitations before diving in.  

We talked with some students, parents and educators who’ve embraced the new tools for tips on how to use AI responsibly at every level to enhance learning and avoid potential pitfalls.   

“The key,” says Matt Hall, a professor in Texas, “is two words: Use it. And once you’re done using it, use it again. Use it as early as possible, and learn to become a good prompt writer. Using AI is a basic life skill now, and if you’re not using it, you’ll be at a competitive disadvantage.”   

Younger learners

Elementary school-aged students can benefit from AI-powered programs to help learn the fundamentals such as reading and math.

Elementary school-aged students can benefit from programs that are powered by AI as they focus on building foundational skills. Aren Uzun, a 12-year-old seventh-grader in California, uses Reading Coach after school to help him practice reading and speaking — and says he is getting higher grades as a result.  

Ava Gerlach, a 10-year-old fifth-grader in Florida, is learning about AI in Minecraft Education to get more comfortable with the new technology and the ways it can help her learn in the future. 

What AI can help students do

Tools like Reading Coach—part of Learning Accelerators—can help kids boost their confidence by practicing skills with a less intimidating audience, such as before reading out loud in front of the whole class, says Aren’s mom, Cigdem Patlak Uzun. Aren is more comfortable presenting to others and is more willing to take the risk of sharing ideas now that he can test the waters first with secure AI coaches built for learning, she says. 

“For some of my presentations I got lower grades, so I wanted to see exactly what I was doing wrong,” Aren says. Reading Coach showed “that I was speaking too fast and said some words incorrectly, so it helped me fix that.” 

There’s value in learning how to learn and how to constantly grow with these new tools.

James Evans

Ava says she was first introduced to the concept of AI through Minecraft Education’s Hour of Code last year, and now she can spout off an explanation at the drop of a hat: “AI is basically a human-made technology that helps people with real-world problems,” she says. 

“I will probably use it as a fifth-grader to help me with research, studying and understanding the steps to math equations,” Ava says. “Especially going back to school now, I’m going to need a refresher on long division.”

Tips for using AI in learning

Kids need to learn the fundamentals first and focus on ways to build their skills with AI tools, Aren says. “You shouldn’t be using AI to figure out how to do the beginning of something,” he says. “Like, if you’re learning what 1+1 is, and AI tells you the answer is 2 but you don’t know why, then later there could be a test on what is 198+275 and you wouldn’t know how to calculate it. It’s better to use it for something that will help you forever, like how to improve your writing skills and do research for new ideas.” 

The personalized guidance in Reading Coach helps keep students engaged — “almost like getting a personal tutor with one-on-one instruction,” Patlak Uzun says. Aren urges fellow students not to share personal information, such as an age or address, online and says younger kids generally should use AI alongside an adult. A recent 4H study backs that up, showing that 72% of the kids surveyed are seeking support from adults in learning how to use these new tools correctly and with confidence. 

Minecraft Education has given Ava a way “to explore things in a safe context,” says Ava’s mom, Holly Gerlach. “And she’s learning about the principles of creating with AI and thinking about inclusivity, privacy and security.” 

High school years

Teens can benefit from AI tools that help build skills such as information literacy and how to validate sources.

As kids get more involved with technology and start using AI, tools such as Search Coach can help by teaching information literacy and how to validate sources. Those are foundational skills students need now, says Isabelle Armstrong, a 16-year-old high school student near Perth, Australia. 

What AI can help students do

Isabelle says Search Coach has helped her narrow down her prompts to be more specific, so now she gets more relevant and trustworthy answers from AI. That, in turn, has taught her how to be more concise and precise with the essays she writes for English classes. “I’m a bit of a rambler,” she says, “so this is helping me get more clear with what I’m saying and get to the point.” 

AI tools can help generate ideas and assist with research, Isabelle says. “It helps kickstart the process and guide me so I’m not looking at the wrong things,” she says. 

“Using AI to brainstorm can help the students work smarter, not harder,” says Kylie Kingdon, who teaches remote classes for kids spread out all over Western Australia, including Isabelle’s modern history class. Kingdon uses Copilot in class to show students various prompts and responses and help them ascertain “what’s good and what’s not. They can see what my prompts are and the answer that’s come out, and that prepares them for the future.”  

The skill of learning how to use AI effectively is helpful throughout a student’s education, Kingdon says — such as realizing that if you only ask for information about “President Roosevelt” for the U.S. history class she teaches, you could get back an answer about Theodore when you meant Franklin. 

AI is basically a human-made technology that helps people with real-world problems.

Ava Gerlach

Search Coach also instructs students in how to evaluate sources, Isabelle says, to get more reliable and less biased information. “We learned the difference between .com and .org and other different domains,” she says. “It’s good to see your searching habits and where you can improve and maybe branch out to different websites or domains, or change what words you use to get different answers. It helps to see your patterns. 

“That’s helped me refine what I’m looking for to get better results.”

Tips for using AI in learning

Use AI as an aid to help learn subjects, but not to produce final coursework, the student and teacher both say. “You need to utilize it in a way that helps you build the skills, not just to get the work done,” Isabelle says.  

AI tools won’t be available in every setting, such as exams, so it’s important to know how to do assignments yourself, she says. “Don’t rely on it as a crutch.” 

It’s all about the process for her students, Kingdon adds. “It’s no longer the final result that’s important,” she says, “but giving them the tools to do all of this.”

Higher education

Older students can benefit from AI’s help with the more intense courseloads—as well as with life skills such as meal planning.

College and university students will find that AI can help them both in and out of the classroom, as they’re hit with intense courseloads as well as the complexity of stepping out of the childhood nest into adulthood, says Evans, the 21-year-old student from Florida who’s moving to Pennsylvania to start on a master’s degree in business analytics. 

What AI can help students do

In addition to reframing complicated concepts to help him better grasp them, Evans uses AI to help create study guides or practice tests, to brainstorm essay ideas and the best structures for presentations, and to research topics. 

Students now need to synthesize massive amounts of data in short periods of time, says Hall, the professor in Texas. Using Copilot for Microsoft 365—with permission from everyone participating—to record, transcribe and summarize classes and meetings can be a huge help with that, he says. It’s also worth asking Copilot to condense reports that might be hundreds of pages long into the key points, to see if the information is relevant to a study topic and worth spending the time to fully read. 

AI tools can help students learn the language of unfamiliar subjects and industries, such as helping Evans talk about warehouses, shipping and logistics for a business class. And that, along with knowing how to use new technology in general, could be valuable in landing an internship or that first job, he says. 

For school projects that require creativity, Copilot can be “a pull-start lawnmower to get you going,” Hall says.  

Using AI is a basic life skill now, and if you’re not using it, you’ll be at a competitive disadvantage.

Matt Hall

Evans says AI is helpful outside the classroom, too—especially for university students living away from their parents and “trying to figure out the logistics of life,” including activities like meal planning.  

“One of the biggest things you hear everywhere is, ‘never stop learning; always be learning something new,’” Evans says. “There’s value in learning how to learn and how to constantly grow with these new tools, because we’re on the precipice and seeing this major change with technology.”  

Tips for using AI in learning

Don’t use AI to write your schoolwork, Evans and Hall advise. Even though AI can write, it won’t have your voice or style, Evans says, and those are important to put out in the world. “We view AI as a co-creator or referential tool,” Hall says. “Don’t cheat yourself out of the learning journey.” 

Evans recommends learning how to do something yourself before getting AI to help with it, to make sure you can assess if the final product is accurate and good. 

Trust but verify, they both say. Use tools such as Copilot that provide sources and citations along with their answers, Hall says, to help with veracity checks. “At the end of the day, I’m the one who needs to make sure the information in my presentation is right,” Evans says. “And I need to learn these lessons before I get to the corporate world.” 

Learn how to talk with other students about AI as well, Evans says. Some will be more comfortable than others using it for help with group projects. 

Most importantly: how students use AI in the classroom will probably continue to evolve as quickly as technology itself. “Next semester my answers could change,” Evans says, “because we’re still learning it, and learning how to use it, and it’s changing with us.”

Photos, from top to bottom: Aren Uzun at Meadow Park Elementary School in Irvine, California (photo by Earnie Grafton); Ava Gerlach (photo courtesy of Holly Gerlach); Isabelle Armstrong (photo courtesy of Armstrong); James Evans (photo courtesy of Evans)

The post Smart ways students are using AI appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

By leveraging Azure’s powerful tools, you can tackle today’s challenges and prepare for future success. Learn how Azure can help your IT team modernize confidently, prepare for future growth, and embrace AI integration within your educational institution.

Empower innovation with a highly secure cloud foundation

Azure helps educational institutions modernize and grow with scalable cloud solutions. With a $20 billion investment in cybersecurity, Microsoft provides robust protection, including customized hardware, integrated controls, and defenses against threats like DDoS. Supported by a global team of over 3,500 cybersecurity experts, these measures ensure that student data is secure. This allows institutions to focus on strategic goals and student success.

Azure enables efficient resource management and creates a secure, agile, and AI-ready foundation, so educators can prioritize delivering equitable learning experiences for all. Here are five ways Azure can help you transform student experiences at your educational institution and streamline operations.

1. Create personalized education experiences with AI

Azure OpenAI Service helps you transform educational experiences with AI tailored to the unique needs of your students, educators, faculty, and staff. With access to the latest AI models, like GPT-4, you can create private AI interactions for a wide range of applications like curriculum design, helpdesk efficiency, programs for advising students, and automating routine tasks.

Reimagine student experiences and streamline administrative tasks

AI can help you create intelligent experiences across your educational institution. Run Azure OpenAI Service on your data to gain insights and apply conversational AI to a variety of use cases to help your educators, faculty, and staff save time and work more efficiently. Building your own copilots allows you to chat with your data using natural language, generate and summarize content, and surface information from vast amounts of data. Specifically, you can: 

• Personalize experiences: Tailor academic content, support, or services to individual learners based on their behavior, preferences, and needs.
• Offer service and support assistants: Improve service interactions and administrative processes with quick assistance through self-service portals.
• Automate information discovery: Use AI to extract valuable insights and knowledge from large volumes of data, summarize results and insights, and generate content. 

Learn more about how educational institutions worldwide are using Azure OpenAI Service to transform experiences for students, educators, faculty, and staff.

The University of South Florida (USF) leveraged Microsoft AI solutions and Azure OpenAI Service to streamline their IT ticket classification process enabling rapid, automated ticket handling, faster response times, and satisfaction. This integration led to the swift development of AI-powered Help Desk chatbots, reducing workloads and improving efficiency.

National Taiwan Normal University utilized Azure OpenAI’s Davinci and ChatGPT to create 10 “CoolE” bots for the Cool English platform, each with a distinct personality tailored to different ages and proficiency levels. These bots engage students in scenarios like solving mysteries or exploring career insights, providing personalized learning experiences based on individual preferences and needs. This innovative approach enhances student engagement and personalizes learning experiences

IU International University of Applied Sciences leveraged the scalability, availability, and speed of the cloud to build Syntea, powered by Azure OpenAI Service. Syntea provides students with personalized, round-the-clock learning assistance that integrates seamlessly with platforms like myCampus and Microsoft Teams, delivering instant answers and personalized feedback. This AI study tool enhances learning efficiency, reducing course completion times by 27%, and exemplifies IU’s commitment to improving educational outcomes with advanced AI.

The South Australia Department for Education, in collaboration with Microsoft, used Azure AI Content Safety to secure EdChat, an educational chatbot, ensuring a safe digital learning environment by blocking harmful content. This integration allowed for a successful trial with 1,500 students and 150 teachers, demonstrating EdChat’s effectiveness in enhancing research and learning. The robust safety features enabled rapid deployment and increased student engagement, providing confidence for broader implementation.

2. Maximize the value of your data

Data is only as powerful as your educators’ and staff’s ability to use it. Azure’s modernized data analytics centralizes and manages data services, integrating disparate sources and breaking down departmental silos. This ensures secure, compliant, and accessible insights, enabling informed decision-making. Azure’s scalable solutions also alleviate the IT burden, empowering faculty and staff to focus on education and innovation.

With solutions like Microsoft Fabric, which centralize and manage data on a single, open governed foundation, you can unlock and share actionable insights across your institution. With data seamlessly flowing from Fabric, you simply describe what you need—including reports, summaries, and calculations—using conventional language, and Copilot in Fabric does the rest. You can also fuel your own tailor-made generative AI experiences in Azure AI Studio with curated data from Fabric.

USF uses Microsoft solutions to accelerate data-driven decision-making by empowering its teams to access information and enriched business insights through a self-service approach. USF freed its teams from repetitive manual tasks by connecting its information sources using Azure Synapse Analytics and Microsoft Power BI to reduce administrative work and produce reports in minutes.

3. Scalability and flexibility

Azure cloud solutions provide the scalability and flexibility schools need to accommodate growth while optimizing costs and operational efficiency. This helps IT professionals stay ahead of technological advancements and manage resources across datacenters, the edge, and multiple clouds. With this adaptability, institutions can prepare for future demands while managing costs.

Colorado State University (CSU) showcases the scalability and flexibility of Azure in modernizing their IT infrastructure. By migrating to Azure Stack HCI, CSU’s College of Business consolidated its on-premises environments into a unified ecosystem, improving the performance of SQL servers, printing systems, and remote desktop services. With Azure Stack HCI, primary and secondary (K12), and higher education institutions can easily streamline their operations, enhance efficiency, and ensure a scalable, flexible environment for students and staff.

4. Operational efficiency

With Azure, IT professionals can create reliable and secure systems that are performant with cloud and AI investments and leverage enablement support to help achieve operational efficiency. We know no two schools are alike, so whether you’re a small educational institution or a large university with many campuses, you can get customized support in three distinct ways:

• Comprehensive resources: Get easy access to cloud workload best practices, Microsoft Cloud adoption guidance, and Azure Migrate.
• Direct access to experts: Simplify your cloud journey with help from Microsoft experts and partners.
• Extensive coverage across scenarios: Find comprehensive coverage for cloud and AI adoption stages and workload scenarios to support your unique needs.

Using Azure services, Torrens University has leveraged generative AI to enhance its online learning experience, saving 20,000 hours and $2.4 million in time and resources. They have seen first-hand how Azure empowers educational institutions to achieve operational excellence and drive innovation.

5. Deliver secure access to services for students and staff, wherever they are

Cloud-based IT infrastructure, like Azure, ensures seamless access to educational resources through virtual desktops, while providing continuity and cyber resilience with backup and disaster recovery. These measures quickly restore normal operations, safeguard critical data, and maintain school operations during disruptions, protecting against data exposure, high recovery costs, and reputational damage. Azure solutions also support remote learning and work, enabling students and staff to access necessary tools from virtually anywhere, ensuring uninterrupted education.

Avans University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands uses Azure Virtual Desktop for remote exams, saving €150,000 annually and enhancing accessibility for all students and staff. Azure Virtual Desktop provides access to applications and resources in any environment with flexibility and control in a familiar computing experience that can be securely accessed on any device.

Take the next step

Azure is a key partner in educational transformation, offering tools and services to tackle today’s challenges and build a strong future. By leveraging Azure, educational institutions can drive innovation, improve efficiency, and ensure success for future generations.

Explore these resources to get started and learn how Azure can help shape the future of your educational institution. 

• Training for Azure | Microsoft Learn
• Fundamentals of Azure OpenAI Service – Training | Microsoft Learn
• Develop Generative AI solutions with Azure OpenAI Service – Training | Microsoft Learn
• Microsoft Learn for Educators Program 
• Student Developer Resources – Microsoft Azure
• Microsoft AI Bootcamp for Educators – Azure AI Fundamentals 
• Prepare to teach AI-900 Microsoft Azure AI fundamentals in academic programs

The post 5 ways Microsoft Azure can reimagine student experiences and streamline operations appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) is the third largest school district in the state of California, US, serving approximately 71,000 students. In August 2023, FUSD launched a literary initiative to help get students reading on grade level by the end of first grade.

To support this initiative, FUSD adopted innovative literacy tools like Reading Progress, a Learning Accelerator from Microsoft. Reading Progress is a powerful reading fluency tool that tracks a student’s reading skills, helping them to focus on specific areas of improvement, while quickly providing actionable insights for educators.

Integrated seamlessly into Microsoft Teams for Education, Reading Progress simplifies the process of creating, reviewing, and analyzing reading assignments. It offers educators and reading specialists valuable data visualizations for both class and individual performance and growth. New enhancements including AI passage generation and AI comprehension questions generation help educators to save time while personalizing learning experiences for students’ needs.

Measuring impact on student achievement

To gain a clearer picture of Reading Progress in the classroom, Microsoft partnered with LearnPlatform to evaluate the impact of the tool on FUSD K-6 students’ reading achievement. Read the full Reading Progress in Fresno Unified School District (2023-24) study.

The results were promising. The study found a positive correlation between consistent Reading Progress usage and improved reading outcomes for kindergarten through sixth-grade students. In fact, students who regularly engaged with Reading Progress demonstrated two key improvements: higher reading accuracy and faster reading speeds.

Reading Progress makes my job easier. I used to do fluency individually with the students and it took so much valuable class time. With Reading Progress, they can push themselves to read independently.

Idia Elegbede-Abode, Teacher, Aynesworth Elementary, Fresno, California, US

Study methodology

To ensure the findings about Reading Progress were reliable, researchers utilized an approach that meets the rigorous evidence standards for Level II (Moderate Evidence) under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The research employed a quasi-experimental design, a common approach in educational research. This approach compared students who used Reading Progress to those who did not. To enhance the study’s rigor, propensity score matching was used to create comparable groups of students, helping to mitigate potential biases.

The study focused on:

• 1,404 kindergarten through 6th grade students
• 702 who used Reading Progress
• 702 who did not

Researchers collected and analyzed data on:

• Reading Progress usage
• i-Ready reading assessments scores
• Student demographics

The analysis showed that Reading Progress had a positive impact on student reading achievement. This was particularly noticeable for two cases: when students increased usage, and for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Let’s dig deeper into the results.

Higher gains

Students using Reading Progress consistently showed significantly higher gains in iReady reading scores for both K-2 and grades 3-6 students compared to non-users.

The average i-Ready score among Reading Progress users was 454: significantly higher than the average non-user score of 448.

To put this in perspective, if a student at the 50^th percentile had used Reading Progress, they would be expected to perform at the 54^th percentile. While this may seem like a modest gain, it represents meaningful progress in reading achievement.

A reading equalizer

Reading Progress was shown to benefit English language learners and students who qualified for free/reduced lunch.

The average full year i-Ready score among English learners who used Reading Progress was 440, significantly higher than the average non-user score of 429.

This difference is significant. An English learner at the 50^th percentile using Reading Progress would be expected to perform at the 59^th percentile: a jump equivalent to roughly one full grade level.

For Reading Progress users who qualified for free/reduced price lunch, their score was 451 as opposed to the average non-user score of 444. This translates to a possible 50^th percentile to 55^th percentile jump, indicating that Reading Progress can be a valuable tool in supporting diverse learner populations.

According to elementary school teacher Idia Elegbede-Abode, “Reading Progress makes my job easier. I used to do fluency individually with the students and it took so much valuable class time. With Reading Progress, they can push themselves to read independently. At the end of the day, I look and see where they are, and it helps me to better group the students. Reading Progress has also improved my students’ motivation. And since I assign it as homework, the parents have even been getting involved! In Fourth Grade, you’re not learning how to read, you’re reading to learn. With Reading Progress taking care of fluency, we can use precious class time to focus on comprehension.”

Consistency is key

Students who used Reading Progress more frequently demonstrated higher reading accuracy and faster reading speeds.

Seventy-eight percent of K-2 Reading Progress users submitted between two and five assignments per month that were, on average, 38% accurate. Those who submitted more assignments, however, had a 10% higher average accuracy percentage across their assignments.

For me, the benefits of Reading Progress are that I can have alone time with every kid without having to have alone time with every kid! I can see my students on the screen, I can hear their voices, and I know exactly how they’re reading.

Errin Topolovec, Teacher, Ayer Elementary, Fresno, California, US

Meanwhile, 83% of grade 3-6 Reading Progress users submitted 20 or fewer assignments, with those submitting more assignments scoring six points higher on their full year i-Ready Reading assessment.

These findings suggest that increased engagement with Reading Progress correlates with improved reading performance, highlighting the potential benefits of consistent use.

Errin Topolovec, another elementary school teacher said, “For me, the benefits of Reading Progress are that I can have alone time with every kid without having to have alone time with every kid! I can see my students on the screen, I can hear their voices, and I know exactly how they’re reading. Reading Progress also really helps to drive my instruction. I can look at it and I start taking notes, then pick a targeted group, pull them over, and hit what they really need to learn to become exceptional readers. For my students, they’ve become much better readers because they are far more aware of their own reading.”

How to get started with Reading Progress

Reading Progress is a valuable tool for improving literacy rates across grade levels. This study confirms that consistent use of Reading Progress maximized student benefits and enabled educators to leverage data to inform instruction and provide differentiated support to students. It even shows potential in reducing achievement gaps.

Integrating Reading Progress into a literacy curriculum is simple. Here’s how to get started:

1. Create assignments: Educators can easily create an assignment within Microsoft Teams for Education using Reading Progress.
2. Student engagement: Students complete the assignment by reading a passage, while recording their voice, and optionally, their video.  
3. Fluency analysis: Reading Progress then analyzes student reading fluency, checking for pronunciation, inserted words, omitted words, and repeated words.
4. Data-driven instruction: Educators then receive data that includes an accuracy percentage and the identified words so that they can tailor instruction accordingly.

Create assignments in Microsoft Teams

Educators can easily create a practice assignment with Reading Progress through Assignments in Microsoft Teams for Education. You can use your own Word or PDF file from your computer, OneDrive, Microsoft Teams, Class Notebook or select a passage from the embedded ReadWorks library or use the new passage generator tool.

Personalize passages and assessments with AI-enabled features

Two AI-powered features have been added to Reading Progress, passage and comprehension question generation.

• Passage generation allows educators to create custom passages tailored to the specific needs and reading levels of their students.
• Comprehension questions generation analyzes a specific reading passage and creates true or false, multiple-choice, and fill-in-the-blank questions. You can then customize, add, or delete these questions

Strengthen reading fluency

The standalone Reading Coach Preview app, another Learning Accelerator, complements Reading Progress by providing personalized and engaging reading fluency practice: even at home. It keeps learners motivated by allowing them to create unique AI-generated stories with customizable characters and settings from a curated collection. Reading Coach is available for free as a web app and a Windows app to use in the classroom or at home with a Microsoft account.

Enhance accuracy and track growth in assignments

Reviewing your students’ practice assignments in Reading Progress is straightforward. Easily jump to specific words in the video or audio recording and listen to individual students’ pronunciations.

Reading Progress data is available through the Education Insights dashboard, revealing crucial trends and patterns. Education Insights shows individual, class, or schoolwide student data to help inform targeted initiatives, personalize interventions, and identify areas for improvement in students. This comprehensive data analysis supports administrators in making informed decisions to enhance student outcomes.

Learn more about how Reading Progress can boost literacy in the classroom with these powerful resources.

• Get started today with the Reading Progress Quick Guide and Reading Coach Quick Guide PDFs.
• Download 5 things to know about Microsoft Reading Progress and Reading Coach.
• Check out Building reading foundational skills: A guide to Reading Progress and Reading Coach in Teams for educators.
• Read how Milton Area School District (US) uses Reading Progress in Microsoft Teams to track students’ reading skills and focus on areas for improvement.
• Learn how The Stour Academy Trust uses Reading Progress and Reading Coach to support students with reading difficulties.
• Take the free training Support reading fluency practice with Reading Progress on Microsoft Learn.

The post New study shows improved reading scores by using Reading Progress appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

The University of Sydney (UofS) recognized the potential of generative AI to enhance teaching practices and assessments, enrich the learning experience, and prepare students for an evolving job market. However, they quickly realized that an out-of-the-box solution wouldn’t suffice, given their unique requirements for security, customization, and contextualization. UofS has demonstrated a successful path forward using Microsoft’s Azure OpenAI Service to build a custom AI solution to meet their needs. By showcasing responsible and effective integration of generative AI, they provide a model for other institutions. Their experience offers valuable insights to tailor AI tools to your unique needs and goals for successful implementation.

Read the full UofS customer story to learn more about their exciting custom AI solutions.

Building a custom AI assistant

Enter Cogniti, a self-serve web app authenticated through Microsoft Entra ID, developed by Danny Liu, Professor of Educational Technologies at UofS. Cogniti is built on the secure and private Azure OpenAI Service platform and empowers faculty to create their own AI agents that they can customize and contextualize to their unique needs, helping students learn in pedagogically meaningful ways. “Faculty love the fact that they can control and therefore trust the AI and that it’s so easy to build their own agents using plain language and embed it into our learning management system for students to use,” said Liu.

With the help of Microsoft’s GitHub Copilot, Professor Liu handled the bulk of Cogniti’s development, from coding to faculty integration. “It was amazing to have Microsoft Copilot working alongside me, troubleshooting, and debugging,” he says. “I wouldn’t have been able to build Cogniti in the time that I did if it weren’t for Copilot.”

By leveraging Azure’s robust infrastructure and GitHub Copilot, Professor Liu developed Cogniti efficiently while maintaining alignment with the university’s objectives. Cogniti addressed privacy concerns by ensuring the confidentiality of prompts and responses, which are not used for further training by OpenAI. This powerful combination provides a secure environment for sensitive educational data and accelerates the development process.

Practical pedagogical applications

Cogniti has been successfully integrated into various pedagogical scenarios at UofS, enhancing student learning and faculty support.

• Bridging theory and practice: Occupational therapy students gained practical experience by role-playing with “Mrs. S,” an AI-simulated client. This allowed them to apply classroom knowledge to a realistic scenario, effectively bridging the gap between theory and practice.
• Consistent student feedback: A coordinator managing large first-year classes with 1,500 students used a Cogniti AI agent to improve grading consistency, quality, and efficiency. The agent incorporated rubrics, assignment expectations, and feedback examples, resulting in faster marking and more consistent feedback for students.
• On-demand biochemistry support: UofS teaches biochemistry to over 800 students who have thousands of questions each semester. With Cogniti, these students can engage in dialogue anytime, discussing course material, explaining their understanding, and receiving valuable feedback from the AI tutor.
• Empowering tutors in complex conversations: Following legislative changes in Australia, the University of Sydney implemented a new student support policy requiring tutors and faculty to advise students on academic issues. These meetings often lead to discussions about well-being, health, or finances. To help tutors navigate unexpected topics, the university fed scenario-specific prompts to Cogniti, offering instant guidance for questions beyond the scope of academic issues.

The benefits of Cogniti are far-reaching. Educators can now allocate more time to deeper engagement and personalized feedback, while students enjoy enhanced learning experiences through interactive AI assistance. Cogniti also offers students valuable opportunities to develop familiarity with AI within a safe, controlled environment, which will be increasingly crucial in their future careers.

The university’s commitment to equitable access to AI is clear in its decision to offer Cogniti for free to all students and staff. As Joanne Wright, Deputy Vice Chancellor of Education, states, “One of the values of Cogniti is that it can be used in a number of different learning settings. Faculty can even personalize it to meet their students’ preferences, weaknesses, or strengths.” Looking ahead, the university hopes to expand Cogniti’s use to more institutions worldwide, believing that its controllability, stability, safety, and accuracy can help dispel fears surrounding generative AI in education. Learn more about the University of Sydney’s inspiring journey with custom generative AI.

Build your own custom AI solution

If you’re interested in building your own custom generative AI solution for your institution, in a similar way to what the UofS accomplished with Cogniti, consider these first steps for getting started.

1. Purchase the necessary IT infrastructure, licenses, and software to create a custom AI application using the Azure OpenAI Service.
2. Review the Overview of Responsible AI practices for Azure OpenAI models and Azure OpenAI’s Transparency Notes to ensure responsible use of the service and understand any system limitations.
3. Assemble a group of school and instructional leaders who are enthusiastic about piloting your AI program to help design, test, and provide feedback.
4. As you begin to develop and document your implementation plan, consider addressing the concerns of all stakeholders, including community members. For guidance, consult the “Engaging your community” section within the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit.
5. Before you begin building, familiarize yourself with step-by-step technical overviews in the implementation roadmap in the “AI Navigators” section of the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit to understand how educational institutions like the Department for Education in South Australia successfully implemented their AI programs.

The UofS is also keen to partner with institutions who may want to adapt Cogniti in their own contexts. This is an inspiring example of how educational institutions can safely and responsibly build and integrate generative AI tools into teaching and learning practices. By embracing this transformative technology, you can also improve the quality of students’ education and equip them with the skills they need to thrive in an increasingly digital world.

Explore more about Azure OpenAI services and how to build custom chatbots with these resources:

• Azure AI Studio
• Microsoft Azure AI Fundamentals: Generative AI
• Microsoft Copilot Studio
• GitHub Copilot Fundamentals – Understand the AI pair programmer

The post University of Sydney: Building custom AI solutions with Azure OpenAI appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Microsoft, leveraging the potential of AI and computing skills, is dedicated to ensuring every learner, irrespective of background or circumstance, has access to top-quality educational opportunities. Through a range of products, partnerships, content, and curriculum, Microsoft supports educators in sparking students’ interest and preparing them for the future.

Initiatives such as the Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior competition play a pivotal role in introducing new technology concepts and fostering critical thinking among students. With a focus on personalized learning experiences, these programs cater to diverse student needs and interests, empowering educators to guide their students towards success.

What is Imagine Cup Junior?

Now in its fifth year, Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior (ICJ) 2024 offers a platform for students aged 5-18 to showcase their skills on a global stage. This year introduces a new Tech for Good category challenge aimed at younger students ages 5-12, providing tailored lessons to inspire them to engage with technology for positive change. Meanwhile, the AI for Good competition category includes students ages 13-18.

During ICJ, educators use Microsoft’s resources to introduce AI technologies, guiding students to apply their learning to real-world challenges. The competition not only promotes AI awareness and knowledge but also serves as a steppingstone for students interested in pursuing careers in technology.

We are delighted by the remarkable competition entries from students in over 100 countries, showcasing their creative project ideas and solutions enabled with AI. As we celebrate these students’ achievements, it’s clear that initiatives like Imagine Cup Junior foster innovation and empower students to build skills needed for a digital society and expand their opportunities to address global issues using technology

Christina Thoresen, Director, Worldwide Public Sector Education, Microsoft

Celebrating innovation: Meet the winning teams

The top 10 winning teams in the Imagine Cup Junior 2024 AI for Good global competition are listed below in alphabetical order:

• DuoVision, Turkey: MemoirAI, an AI-based specialized autobiography assistant, preserves personal histories by blending verbal narratives with integrated audio and visual data, creating a permanent repository of human experience.
• IntelliLex, Vietnam: IntelliLex, a personalized, automated AI system, supports dyslexic children in overcoming challenges and improving learning outcomes.
• Milky Way, Vietnam: The Milky Way project preserves and promotes the value of intangible cultural heritage through interactive maps, timelines, categories, filters, and recommendations
• Ocean Guardian, China: Ocean Guardian’s AI-assisted coral reef restoration system plans the best path for an underwater robot to repair coral reefs with minimal damage to marine life.
• Rainbow Soldiers, South Africa: Rainbow Soldiers’ application connects people around a cultural group and encourages people to share their experiences.
• Stroke of Luck, Malaysia: Stroke of Luck’s battery-operated device is surgically placed in the body to aid stroke patients in recovery and rehabilitation by recognizing, capturing, storing, receiving, and sending information in the form of electrical impulses via AI.
• Team Mustang, United States: Team Mustang’s project provides early and accurate diagnosis of Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HCC) involving the development of a convolutional neural network capable of analyzing abdominal ultrasound images to determine whether the liver is malignant or benign.
• The Exhausted Dreamers, Singapore: The Exhausted Dreamers’ computer vision AI detects and labels car parts, sorting them based on recyclability and value, and sending the coordinates of the part location to a robot arm for retrieval.
• To the Top, Saudi Arabia: To the Top utilizes AI to solve the problem of unpleasant odors emanating from tertiary treatment plants, sewage water, and eliminates the negative impact on air pollution and the health of citizens.
• VocAI, United States: VocAI’s AI app generates clear and natural speech for people with hearing loss and provides self-training for improving speech quality.

The top winning team in the Imagine Cup Junior 2024 Tech for Good global competition is listed below:

• Dr. MediBud, Vietnam: Dr. Medibud is an AI doctor that gives anyone in the world access to regular, effective, and inexpensive health checkups and monitoring on their phone by leveraging large language models and retrieval augmented generation (RAG).

Honorable mentions for the Tech for Good competition include:

• Fit Buddy Smartwatch, Malaysia: Fit Buddy Smartwatch by STEM Titans for children that leverages AI to track activity, meals, and to provide education regarding healthy choices.
• Shield, India: Shield is a system created through a network of notes using Internet of things (IoT) Street cameras, road cameras, and other internet-connected cameras to leverage AI facial recognition to identify the thousands of missing people who are victimized by human trafficking. 
• Skin Safe, Vietnam: Skin Safe is an AI app that detects skin issues using a smartphone camera, connecting people with reliable skin care service providers.
• SOS, Kuwait: SOS is an app that can help in identifying and protecting endangered species by allowing users to report sightings, learn about conservation efforts, and connect with nearby nature reserves all through the use of the camera on their phones and Computer Vision API, Bing Maps API, Azure Notification Hubs, and more.

Prepare for the workplace of the future

Moving forward, it’s crucial for educators, policymakers, and communities to collaborate in equipping students with the skills needed to navigate the workplace of the future. By embracing learning that cultivates critical thinking, problem-solving, and well-being, we can prepare students to shape meaningful futures in the era of AI.

The success stories from around the world demonstrate the transformative impact of introducing emerging technologies into education. Microsoft Imagine Cup Junior exemplifies the power of empowering students to thrive and succeed in tomorrow’s world.

Explore resources for building AI skills

Learn more about key skills and tools critical for future success by exploring these resources. 

• For students: Microsoft Learn Student Hub, Minecraft Hour of Code: Generation AI, Microsoft MakeCode, and Hacking STEM.
• For educators: AI for educators, AI for education: Resources and learning opportunities, and Smart learning: AI resources every educator should know.

The post Congratulations to the Imagine Cup Junior 2024 winners! appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

To better understand what skills employers are prioritizing, Microsoft commissioned International Data Corporation (IDC) to interview more than 800 business and IT leaders worldwide. The findings, captured in a newly released IDC InfoBrief, Thriving in an AI-driven Future: Defining Critical Skills and Tools as Jobs Evolve,* highlight a need for not only technical and AI-related skills, but also human skills development. The report explores what skills and tools are most critical to success, targeting roles in IT and line of business (LOB) areas such as marketing, sales, HR, operations, and finance.

Skills development has gone from an anchor experience in higher education to being an ongoing experience as part of the flow of work. Whether starting as a new graduate or an experienced professional leader, the end goal is to adapt and learn the most critical tools for driving productivity, business and organizational success.

Amy Loomis, Ph.D., IDC Research Vice President, Future of Work

Read the IDC InfoBrief Thriving in an AI-driven Future: Defining Critical Skills and Tools as Jobs Evolve to learn about the key skills and tools that are critical to success in the workplace.

Key findings: Build proficiency in productivity tools and human skills

As technologies like AI become more commonplace, it’s increasingly important to build proficiency in productivity tools with generative AI embedded in them, including those that workers are already using.

Findings from the IDC InfoBrief, Thriving in an AI-driven Future, show three top technical skills ranked by the percentage of respondents for two groups: IT and LOB. The skills are ranked as follows: Microsoft Office 50% IT, 66% LOB; data management 35% IT, 39% LOB; project management 34% IT, and 35% LOB.

When it comes to the technical skills prioritized by IT and business leaders worldwide, proficiency in Microsoft Office was ranked the most important technical skill for professional success across IT and business leaders—significantly ahead of the next listed skill.

Two statistics from the IDC InfoBrief, Thriving in an AI-driven Future, about applications to know for work. Sixty-five percent of respondents report Microsoft Teams is a top tool. Sixty-five percent of LOB managers report Microsoft Office is the most important for success for their teams.

In addition, 100% of respondents shared that they use Microsoft Office every day for communication and collaboration, with 65% of LOB managers choosing it as the most important solution for the professional success of their teams.

Microsoft Teams was also identified as critical. When asked about the overall ranking of the top 3 collaboration tools for work purposes, respondents cited Microsoft Teams as the highest ranked collaboration and productivity application for work purposes, with Microsoft Office also being in the top 3.

Two bar graphs from the IDC InfoBrief, Thriving in an AI-driven Future, that list the important human and business skills for experienced professionals and new professionals according to respondents. The skills listed for experienced professionals are problem solving (49%), communication (45%), data analysis (44%), organizational skills (42%), and flexibility (42%). The skills listed for new professionals are flexibility (42%), creative problem solving (41%), creativity (35%), organizational skills (34%), and problem solving (34%).

In addition to having working knowledge of Microsoft Office and Microsoft Teams, experienced professionals and managers indicated that future success in new hires requires human and business skills such as:

• Problem solving
• Communication
• Flexibility
• Creativity
• Data analysis

Our tools continue to be foundational to success in the knowledge economy. As a leading provider of AI technology, these tools with built-in AI functionality will help ensure that students are ready for what is next in the world of work.

Paige Johnson, Vice President, Education and Media Industry Marketing, Microsoft

Certifications matter to employers

Recent LinkedIn data reveals that 20% of U.S. jobs no longer require a 4-year degree, with employers adopting a “skills-first” approach to hiring. This approach emphasizes what a candidate can do and their willingness to learn new skills.

The IDC InfoBrief confirms this trend. Of responding IT and LOB managers:

• 74% indicate that certifications from technology vendors are important when hiring entry level applicants.
• 70% note that certifications are as important, if not more, than academic degrees for hiring new professionals.
• 50% say that vendor certifications offer greater career mobility.
• 45% agree that certifications lead to more engaging roles and higher pay.

We are excited to see the opportunity industry credentials represent for students entering the workforce to demonstrate their technical skills verified with industry-recognized certifications to stand out in a competitive job market.

Christina Thoresen, Worldwide Education Solutions Strategy Leader, Microsoft

In addition to the value employers find in certifications, the IDC InfoBrief also offers companies and organizations guidance regarding AI and hiring practices:

• Align around key skills for business and IT.
• Invest in generative AI technology and training. 
• Reinforce the importance of key human and business skills. 
• Consider which vendor certifications are most important.
• Partner with educational institutions to encourage better skills alignment for graduates.

Explore how Microsoft Credentials support growth and proficiency with role-based certifications to new, scenario-specific applied skills.

Preparing for AI readiness in the workforce

IDC’s findings, as well as Microsoft’s own New Future of Work report, confirm that the need for an AI-ready workforce has already arrived. Today’s graduates are expected to be able to use Microsoft Copilot and other AI technologies as they progress from classroom to career. Skills like critical thinking and analytical judgment, complex problem solving, and creativity and originality are new core competencies—not just for technical roles or AI experts.

As AI reshapes work, human-AI collaboration will be the next transformational work pattern—the ability to work iteratively with AI will be a key skill for every employee. We’re already seeing it. Here’s what stands out from our November 2023 Work Trend Index Special Report:

• 70% of Copilot users said they were more productive, and 68% said it improved the quality of their work.
• Overall, users were 29% faster in a series of tasks (searching, writing, and summarizing).
• Users were able to get caught up on a missed meeting nearly 4x faster.
• 64% of users said Copilot helps them spend less time processing email.
• 85% of users said Copilot helps them get to a good first draft faster.
• 75% of users said Copilot “saves me time by finding whatever I need in my files.”
• 77% of users said once they used Copilot, they didn’t want to give it up.

Get started today with Copilot and explore how to leverage it as an educator. Learn more about Copilot for Microsoft 365, an add-on, to integrate AI assistance into the apps you use every day.

Explore resources for building key skills

Learn more about key skills and tools critical for future success by exploring these additional resources.

• Discover interactive projects, self-paced training, communities, and more for your students at the Microsoft Learn Student Hub. 
• Bring AI and in-demand tech skills-building to your students through Microsoft Credentials. 
• Kickstart your school’s AI journey with the Microsoft Education AI Toolkit.
• Complete the AI for educators learning path to discover practical and interesting ways to integrate AI into teaching and learning with tools like Copilot.
• Use the Classroom toolkit: Unlocking generative AI safely and responsibly, a resource designed to assist educators in initiating conversations about responsible AI practices in the classroom.
• Check out the Minecraft AI Prompt Lab to learn skills and knowledge needed to creatively use Minecraft Education as a dynamic teaching tool. 
• Explore the Microsoft Office Specialist and Microsoft Certified Fundamentals certifications available from Certiport.
• Read the AI in Education Report for the latest insights from Microsoft, partner organizations, and academia on new opportunities and challenges.

*doc #US51794024, March 2024

The post New IDC InfoBrief explores key skills and tools critical to AI success appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.

Over 3,700 students from more than 100 countries participated in five weeks of virtual hacking, diving deep into the niche of education, thinking through critical questions around the use of AI in the future of learning.

Judging criteria for the Microsoft AI Classroom Hackathon

With $12,000 USD in prizes up for grabs, participating undergraduate and graduate students were asked to reimagine education in the era of AI. Winning projects demonstrated core components of Microsoft Azure—from the latest machine learning and generative AI models of Azure AI, Azure Databases such as Azure Cosmos DB and Azure SQL, and Azure App Services, such as Azure Functions or Azure Kubernetes Service.

Bonus credit was given to projects that demonstrated accessibility considerations as well as Microsoft’s Responsible AI Principles.

Winning teams spanned the globe, hailing from India, Turkey, Singapore, Canada, Germany, and the United States. Competing across categories for Best Graduate and Undergraduate Technical Applications, as well as a no-code category for generative AI, winning projects touched on themes that range from accessibility to personalized learning to gamification. Beyond cash prizes, winning teams have support to continue their projects and AI learning journeys mentorship from Microsoft, including access to Microsoft for Startups resources such as Founders Hub.

Celebrating innovation: Meet the hackathon winners

Technical Project | First Place

ChatEDU: Revolutionizing Education with Azure AI

Microsoft AI Classroom Hackathon First Place winner, ChatEDU, offers personalized study guides, multiple-choice tests, long answer formats, and context-driven sessions.

Project overview: ChatEDU is not just an educational tool, it’s a revolution in learning. By harnessing the power of Azure AI, including GPT-4 and Azure’s diverse databases and services, ChatEDU transcends traditional learning methods. Transforming any text or file into an immersive tutoring experience, ChatEDU offers personalized study guides, multiple-choice tests, long answer formats, and context-driven sessions. 

Meet the team: “We are a team of four computer science undergraduates from Vanderbilt University. Since meeting during our first year of school, we have collaborated on various projects and dedicated numerous hours to exploring the possibilities offered by emerging technologies. The Microsoft AI Classroom hackathon provided us with the ideal platform to create a tool that contributes to the community that brought us together.”

Congratulations to JP Higgens, Jason Headman, Jake Underwood, and Vasco Singh on their first-place win.

Technical Project | Second Place

Dialogues Through Time: An Educational History Game

Microsoft AI Classroom Hackathon Second Place winner, “Dialogues Through Time,” combines immersive storytelling and interactive AI-driven dialogues to offer a unique learning experience.

Project overview: Embark on a groundbreaking journey through history with “Dialogues Through Time.” This innovative educational game combines immersive storytelling, interactive AI-driven dialogues, and stunning visuals to offer a unique learning experience.

Meet the team: Kryštof Olik and Bennet Poh are based out of Munich, Germany. Kryštof has extensive expertise in AI application development, while Bennet brings experience as a skilled 3D artist and game developer to the table. “Seeing how well our skills complement one another for what is needed for this project, we started work right away once we put our ideas for the project down on paper on a chilly Thursday evening after our university lecture.”

Technical Project | Third Place

Insight: An Intelligent and Personalized Learning Experience

Microsoft AI Classroom Hackathon Third Place winner, Insight, enables users to upload lecture notes by subject, transforming them into personalized quizzes and flashcards.

Project overview: “Our unwavering mission was inspired by the quest for enhanced learning experiences. We envisioned a transformative platform where students seamlessly convert mundane lecture notes into dynamic quizzes and flashcards, thus elevating the very fabric of their educational journey. This vision aims to provide students with an effortless tool that amplifies their understanding, turning conventional study materials into interactive and engaging learning resources. Our solution, Insight, enables users to upload lecture notes by subject, transforming them into personalized quizzes and flashcards. Imagine having a personalized study guide tailored to your unique needs, a companion that not only enhances your learning capacity but makes education itself more engaging and effective.”

Meet the team: Bryan Kang and Manfred Leow are based out of Singapore and have expertise in Python and Java development. The duo plan to continue working on their project. “Our journey doesn’t end here. The future of Insight includes implementing features like AI analytics and Speech to Text for recording lectures. We are committed to refining the user experience and maximizing the potential of AI in education.

Best Undergraduate Student App

DevHub: Empowering Students with AI Mentorship

Project overview: DevHub is a machine learning-based web application that empowers students in their core skills and helps them become job-ready. This platform will help students get mentorship through a machine learning model and professional community members, a well-structured roadmap for different domains, and an internship to build real-world and complex projects. The platform focuses on providing students with the latest learning opportunities and helping them build real-world projects, enhancing their technical and core skills.

Meet the team: Abdul Raheem is a Python lover and machine learning enthusiast who loves playing with data. An open-source contributor and learner based out of Sāhīwal, Punjab, Pakistan.

“As a community person, I understand the shared struggle that my community is facing where many students are unsure about their career path, leading to unproductive time in college. Those with passion lack a structured roadmap for skill development that can make them job-ready. In my tier-3 colleges, internship opportunities are almost none to zero because of our remote location as well. To address these challenges, my friend and I built a solution to help students become job-ready.”

Best Graduate Student App

Cuepal: AI Flashcard Quizzes for Students

Microsoft AI Classroom Hackathon Best Graduate Student App, Cuepal, is a tool where student notes are transformed by OpenAI’s GPT-4 into tailored flashcards and quiz questions.

Project overview: Cuepal is an interactive, classroom-integrated tool where student notes are transformed by OpenAI’s GPT-4 into tailored flashcards and quiz questions, ensuring students remain attentive and immediately benefit from customized study materials. This approach not only reinforces learning in real-time but also streamlines the creation of educational resources.

Meet the team: Cuepal AI was a collaborative effort across continents between Wei Chun, Benedict Neo, Victoria Amoroso, Cloey Wong, and Caroline Huynh. When thinking through the vision for where the project will evolve, the team is looking towards great advances in personalized learning. “Looking ahead, we aim to introduce a teacher’s module for class and student management. Additionally, we envision integrating a digital tutor for each student, offering personalized guidance and insights into their knowledge gaps and errors. This next step will further our mission to revolutionize the educational experience through tailored, AI-enhanced learning tools.”

Best No Code Project

Neural Synchronisation: A Collaborative Learning System

Project overview: “I was going through the ideas generator to see what potential ideas we could work on when I came across Neural Synchronisation Learning which takes into account real-time feedback and assessments. I came across a hackathon project through my LinkedIn connection that provides AI support to children having difficulty writing with hand tremors so while brainstorming I decided to make a platform that integrates mental health support for individuals and, a readability format for people with essential tremors and support for introverts.”

Meet the team: Akanksha Bhimte is based out of India, and this was her first hackathon project. The accomplishments she’s most proud of: “I take pride in the development of innovative neural synchronization algorithms. These algorithms effectively identify speech dominance, encourage balanced participation, and adapt responses in real time based on the evolving dynamics within the group. Leveraging Azure Cognitive Services, our system can accurately transcribe spoken content in real-time, enhancing the overall user experience. What we learned. It doesn’t take a lot of effort to make things inclusive for people who might have a hard time learning things.”

Honorable Mention

EquEdu: Making Training Videos Accessible for the Visually Impaired

Project overview: Did you know that there are 253 million visually impaired and 360 million hearing impaired people in the world? EquEdu is a content accessibility tool that allows you to make online educational content accessible for the visually impaired.

Meet the team: “I am Atakan. I’m a visually impaired person and a product developer. Since the age of 13, I have been developing software and I try to benefit from a lot of online training content both in my school life and in my software development process. However, since there is no audio description for the visually impaired, I am often faced with sentences like “we will click here, you see it on the screen” and I cannot benefit from the training.

As someone who frequently uses AI in his daily life, when I realized that the problem that I mentioned is not only my problem, but there are millions of people like me around the world, we started to develop EquEdu, which is powered by AI.

Building foundations for innovation

Microsoft is committed to fostering innovation for the next generation of students and young professionals. For more information about upcoming educational initiatives, bookmark the Microsoft Education Blog and check back frequently for updates.

Additional resources for young professionals and early career developers are available at:

• Microsoft for Startups
• Azure for Students
• Microsoft Imagine Cup
• Microsoft Reactor

To learn more about Microsoft’s latest innovations in data and AI, read the article The Microsoft Intelligent Data Platform—Unleash your data and accelerate your transformation on the Microsoft Azure Blog. 

Overall, we are blown away by the quality of submissions and would like to provide a special thanks to all of our participants, as well as our partners at Devpost and University of South Florida, for helping to host the in-person and virtual components of the hackathon experience.

Microsoft AI Classroom Hackathon event partners from Devpost and the University of South Florida gathered for the in-person components of the hackathon.

For more information on submitted projects and winning teams from the Microsoft AI Classroom Hackathon, check out the official hackathon project gallery on Devpost.

The post Meet the winners of the Microsoft AI Classroom Hackathon appeared first on Microsoft Education Blog.