Microsoft Copilot for Researchers

This course teaches academic and institutional researchers how to harness the power of Microsoft 365 Copilot to streamline research workflows, enhance collaboration, automate data tasks, and accelerate discovery.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course, participants will be able to:

• Use Copilot Chat to conduct literature reviews and generate research summaries

• Draft research papers, grant applications, and reports using Copilot in Word

• Analyze experimental or survey data using Excel and Copilot

• Create visually compelling research presentations with PowerPoint

• Collaborate with research teams using Teams and Loop

• Optimize project workflows, citations, and task planning with Copilot

Course Agenda

Module 1: Copilot for Research Efficiency (60 minutes)

• Overview of Microsoft 365 Copilot for researchers

• Using Copilot Chat to brainstorm research ideas and summarize literature

Hands-on Lab: Use Copilot to generate a literature summary and draft research questions

Module 2: Word for Research Writing (90 minutes)

• Drafting research papers, grant proposals, and abstracts

• Using Copilot to rephrase, cite, and edit academic writing

Hands-on Lab: Write and revise a research abstract and methodology section

• Creating templates for ethics applications and funding submissions

Hands-on Lab: Draft a grant proposal section with inline citations

Module 3: Excel for Research Data Analysis (90 minutes)

• Organizing datasets and cleaning data with Copilot

• Performing basic statistical analysis and visualizing results

Hands-on Lab: Analyze a survey dataset and generate visual summaries

• Automating calculations for research metrics

Hands-on Lab: Build a summary table for experimental results using formulas and Copilot

Module 4: PowerPoint for Research Presentations (75 minutes)

• Structuring academic presentations and conference posters

• Using Copilot to auto-generate slides from research papers or outlines

Hands-on Lab: Create a research results presentation

• Tailoring presentations for academic, public, or funding audiences

Hands-on Lab: Create a funding pitch deck or conference talk

Module 5: Teams and Loop for Research Collaboration (75 minutes)

• Setting up project Teams for multi-institution collaboration

• Using Loop components to co-author and share research updates

Hands-on Lab: Build a collaborative research workspace with tasks, notes, and document links