Faculty Resources

Leverage Microsoft Copilot to enhance teaching, streamline workflows, and engage students

🎯 Teaching Applications

Course Design & Syllabus Creation

  • Generate course outlines aligned with learning outcomes
  • Create comprehensive syllabi with clear objectives
  • Develop weekly schedules and reading lists
  • Design rubrics for various assessment types
Example Prompt:

"Create a 15-week syllabus for Introduction to Psychology at a community college level, including learning objectives, assessment methods, and weekly topics."

Lecture & Presentation Development

  • Generate lecture notes and talking points
  • Create engaging PowerPoint outlines
  • Develop case studies and real-world examples
  • Design interactive discussion questions
Example Prompt:

"Create a 50-minute lecture outline on the American Civil War for community college students, including key events, discussion questions, and multimedia suggestions."

Assignment & Assessment Creation

  • Design project-based learning activities
  • Create diverse question types (multiple choice, short answer, essay)
  • Develop scaffolded assignments for different skill levels
  • Generate practice problems and solutions
Example Prompt:

"Generate 10 critical thinking questions about climate change suitable for community college environmental science students."

📋 Administrative Efficiency

Email & Communication

  • Draft professional emails to students and colleagues
  • Create announcement templates
  • Generate parent communication letters
  • Compose recommendation letters

Grading & Feedback

  • Create detailed feedback rubrics
  • Generate constructive comments for student work
  • Summarize common errors for class discussion
  • Develop improvement suggestions

Documentation & Reports

  • Create program assessment reports
  • Draft meeting minutes and agendas
  • Generate student progress reports
  • Compile curriculum documentation

✅ Best Practices for Faculty

1. Maintain Academic Integrity

Use Copilot as a teaching tool, not a replacement for critical thinking. Always review and customize AI-generated content to match your teaching style and course needs.

2. Be Transparent with Students

Discuss AI tools openly in your courses. Establish clear guidelines on appropriate use and create assignments that encourage original thinking.

3. Protect Student Privacy

Never input identifiable student information into AI tools. Use anonymized or hypothetical examples when seeking assistance.

4. Verify Accuracy

Always fact-check AI-generated content, especially for technical or specialized subjects. Copilot can make mistakes.

5. Iterate and Refine

Use follow-up prompts to improve outputs. Be specific about your needs, audience level, and desired outcomes.

Need Help Getting Started?

Check out our comprehensive getting started guide

View Getting Started Guide