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Reimagine Education 2024: Prepare for the future with new AI and security offers

March 06, 2024.

By Paige Johnson

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Editor’s note: This blog was originally published on March 6, 2024, and was updated on March 28, 2024. We previously shared that Copilot for Microsoft 365 would be available for higher education institutions to purchase as an add-on for their students aged 18+ on April 1, 2024. Availability is now planned for May 1, 2024.

At Reimagine Education , we announced new ways that Microsoft’s AI tools can be used to bring new opportunities to life, build secure foundations, and prepare students for the future. We’re bringing Microsoft Copilot to more education audiences, launching free AI features designed to save time for educators, and publishing an AI Toolkit. Learning Accelerators’ availability is expanding to popular learning management systems and Speaker and Math Progress are entering private previews. We also shared a new offer: Microsoft Defender for Endpoint tailored towards protecting student devices, at a discounted price. 

If you missed the event today, you can watch it on-demand and continue reading to learn more. 

Microsoft Copilot: your AI assistant for education  

Microsoft’s advancements in AI are grounded in our mission to empower every person to achieve more and are guided by Microsoft’s Responsible AI principles that are built upon decades of research.

Educators around the world are already using Copilot to draft content, brainstorm new ideas, and free up their time to focus on what matters most. And we recently spoke to educators from O'Dea High School and Indiana University to hear first-hand how they now have a secure AI "scaffolding" to support them in and outside of the classroom. During the Reimagine Education event, we shared Copilot expansions to empower education institutions to harness Microsoft AI technologies. 

Microsoft Copilot with commercial data protection is built into all Microsoft 365 Education offers, including our zero-cost license. It’s already available to all faculty and higher education students ages 18 and above, and we’re starting a private preview program for younger learners this spring. 

Starting April 1, 2024, Copilot for Microsoft 365 will be available for higher education institutions to purchase as an add-on for their students aged 18+. To be eligible, students must be assigned Microsoft 365 or Office 365 A3/A5 licenses. Integration across Microsoft 365 applications provides seamless performance, so you can: 

• Stay on top of all your chats, remote classes, meetings, and calls with Microsoft Teams.
• Create, comprehend, and elevate your documents in Microsoft Word. 
• Keep up with your inbox and manage follow-ups in Microsoft Outlook.
• Turn your inspiration into stunning presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint. 
• Analyze, comprehend, and visualize data with ease in Microsoft Excel. 

Additionally, commercial academic offers of Copilot come with a Customer Copyright Commitment. This means, education customers can be confident in using our services without the concerns of copyright claims. 

Personalize learning at scale

We have exciting updates to our Learning Accelerators as well in Teams for Education to help personalize learning at scale: 

• New features in Reading Progress and Microsoft Teams for Education are coming to all educators starting later this month at no additional cost. They leverage AI to draft content like rubrics, assignment instructions, personalized reading passages, and learning objectives, all while keeping the educator in control.  
• Reading Coach now comes with enhanced AI features so students can create their stories and pick their own path as the story progresses: increasing student agency and motivation. It’s going to be available on the web, as a dedicated Windows app, and as an LMS integration. Customers interested in signing up for the preview of the LMS integrations for Reading Coaches and other Learning Tool integrations can go to aka.ms/LMSIntegrations  
• Microsoft’s teacher tool, Math Progress is now entering private preview, and Math Coach, our student tool, will follow soon. These tools leverage AI to help students identify where they’re struggling and provide real-time step-by-step coaching on mathematical problem solving. 

How AI Navigators are leveraging technology for impact    

During the event, I also had the pleasure of introducing our AI Navigators. They highlight how state departments, ministries of education, universities, and K-12 schools are leveraging Microsoft AI tools and solutions to better prepare students for their future. The stories of these navigators demonstrate how AI technology can create even more impact in the hands of great educators to make a real difference in student learning. 

Wichita Public Schools in Kansas serves 47,000 students and 5,600 educators and administrators. Microsoft Copilot gives their teachers what they want the most—time—allowing them to focus more on each student and bring a greater diversity of tailored learning experiences into the classroom.   

The University of South Florida is using Copilot for Microsoft 365 to accelerate faculty workflows and create their own solutions, such as their Help Desk Bot. Before, people had to review every help desk ticket and it would take a few hours before the IT team could respond. Now, response time is a matter of seconds. Faculty can also do more work in less time—querying and summarizing documents in seconds—leaving them more time to spend building new projects and student relationships. 

California State University San Marcos is using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Customer Insights and testing Copilot to overcome data collection hurdles and support each student individually. They’re now able to centralize communications with students, staff, faculty, and external partners and use data meaningfully in personalized interactions with students.   

We also shared remarkable partner stories from PowerSchool and Anthology who are leveraging the Azure OpenAI Service. The University of Leeds uses the AI Design Assistant from Anthology to empower instructors to quickly and easily build course structure, rubrics, and more. And Colorado Springs School District 11 utilizes PowerSchool AI capabilities to free up time spent creating materials to focus on student needs and engagement.  

Engage in deeper learning experiences 

We also shared new resources to deepen engagement and increase AI literacy for leaders and educators: 

• The Microsoft Education AI Toolkit is a free resource that education leaders can use to develop AI plans for their institutions. It will help to lower the barrier of entry with examples, case studies, and getting started materials to help you evaluate and implement AI solutions.  
• Explore the AI in Education Report for the latest insights from Microsoft, partner organizations, and academia on new opportunities and challenges.  
• The Minecraft AI Prompt Lab is designed to empower educators with the skills and knowledge needed to creatively use Minecraft Education as a dynamic teaching tool, leveraging the strengths of Microsoft Copilot to enhance their teaching abilities. 

How Microsoft tools keep students and information safe

In terms of security, we are introducing the following:  

• A new Microsoft Defender for endpoint offering designed to protect student devices will be available soon to any Microsoft 365 A5 customer at a discounted price.   
• Microsoft Copilot for Security , the first and only generative AI solution that helps security and IT professionals amplify their skillsets, collaborate more, see more, and respond faster. Tune into Microsoft Secure event on March 13, 2024, to get the latest updates on Microsoft Copilot for Security.  
• Free security trainings so that school leaders, educators, students, and even families can learn how to make smart decisions when they are in an educational environment.   

These new security offerings are already being implemented in K-12 and higher education. For example, Microsoft Defender helped Fulton Country Schools to instill confidence in district leadership, staff, and students after a ransomware scare in December 2021. Similarly, Newington College has students across four campuses and protecting their data is a big issue. Microsoft 365 Education A5 gives them a holistic view of their security environment. If an account were to be compromised, tools such as Microsoft Defender and Microsoft Sentinel would help keep data, servers, and workstations safe, managed and patched. 

Microsoft and the changing world of work  

The latest findings from an IDC InfoBrief , sponsored by Microsoft, 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.  

I had a fascinating conversation with the Superintendent of Public Instruction in Washington State, Chris Reykdal, about responsible AI implementation. After recognizing the need to prepare Washington State students for the world of work with AI, a group of education leaders was assembled to reimagine several pieces of their education system, including grade-level learning expectations about AI, teacher professional development, institutional policies and practices, and curated resources for AI adoption.  

Watch Reimagine Education on-demand to hear the latest and catch up on the top announcements in this quick one-minute recap! 

Why reimagine? 

There has never been a better time to collectively reimagine education. I hope you are excited about and ready to leverage the opportunities AI can bring to education. We are inspired by the passion, persistence, and ingenuity that you demonstrate every day. Thank you for all that you do to help prepare the next generation of leaders and innovators! 

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Reimagine Education: A digital event on March 6, 2024

We are excited to invite you to Reimagine Education, a worldwide digital event from Microsoft Education taking place Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at 9:00 AM PT (UTC-8) and 6:00 PM PT (UTC-8). During the event, hear stories from innovative schools around the world.

• SCHOOL STORIES
• MICROSOFT EDUCATOR CENTER
• CONTACT SALES

Watch Reimagine Education and learn what's new with responsible AI in education >

Watch Reimagine Education and learn what's new with responsible AI in education ›

Transform learning with Microsoft 365 Education

Microsoft 365 Education offers a suite of student-centered solutions that help create an equitable learning environment for all and help students succeed in the classroom and beyond. Find which plan is right for your institution below.

Discover what student-centered solutions look like

Accelerate learning

Help students catch up, keep up, and get ahead with our new Learning Accelerators. These tools create more opportunities for students to practice through immediate feedback in core subjects like reading, writing, and math. They also track progress and provide actionable insights for teachers.

Prepare for the future

Get students familiar with tools they’ll likely use for years to come, like Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Teams, while building future-ready skills, like problem solving and collaboration.

Inclusively designed

Create a learning environment where everyone can fully participate with built-in, non-stigmatizing tools across the Microsoft 365 Education suite. Read Aloud, Microsoft Translator, Live Captions, and Immersive Reader are just a few of the accessibility tools teachers can utilize.

Secure & future-proof IT

Manage technology and maximize security from one classroom to an entire district with Microsoft 365 Education. Our cloud-based system makes monitoring threats and pushing updates seamless to maximize learning time for all.

Explore educational plans

Check out an overview of our three tiers of academic plans: A1, A3, and A5. Then, talk to the experts on our sales team who can guide you through the costs and benefits of each plan. Start accelerating learning for all students today.

Microsoft 365 A1

A simple, one-time-per-device learning solution for modern workloads. Save time by managing all devices in a single dashboard.

Microsoft 365 A3

The right solution for institutions that need all the A1 features, plus desktop apps, advanced security, and analytics.

Microsoft 365 A5

Our most comprehensive plan features everything A3 offers, plus streamlined licensing, security, and management tools.

Microsoft Teams

Minecraft Education

Microsoft Copilot, your AI assistant for education​

Copilot with commercial data protection is available to all faculty and higher education students ages 18+ who are signed in with their school account, including users of our free offers. Commercial data protection safeguards your organization and ensures your data is your data - they aren’t used to train the underlying large language models. With Copilot, faculty and students 18+ can get better answers, greater efficiency, and new ways to be creative.​ Learn more on the blog

Microsoft 365 was a way for us to ensure parity and equity for all learners; to ensure they all have access to the same tools, the same software, and the same opportunities.

We have the Microsoft 365 A5 license, and the kids can get the licensing on their home computers. That's a big plus for us because the district wanted the parents and the community to have the same tools that our students have.

We teach students how to use Microsoft 365 tools to set them up for success later. We teach them how to address and write an email, how to write a business letter, and how to develop a presentation. Microsoft 365 makes it easy to prepare students for the future.

Take Microsoft 365 for Education with you

With Microsoft 365 for Education, everyone can work or study their way.

Frequently asked questions

• Microsoft 365 Education

Q: What is Microsoft 365 Education?

Microsoft 365 Education is a productivity cloud suite that enables the creation of equitable learning environments. We achieve this through solutions that help accelerate learning, prepare students from classroom to career, are inclusively designed, and support instructional and IT leaders with trusted and secure solutions.

Q: What is the difference between Office 365 and Microsoft 365 Education?

Microsoft 365 builds on top of Office 365 apps such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook and provides enhanced management, security, and compliance tools.

Q: What type of data and analytics tools and capabilities does Microsoft 365 Education provide?

• Education Insights: Education Insights is a free, out-of-the-box analytics solution for schools using Teams for Education. It automatically connects key apps within Teams and the Microsoft 365 graph and makes student data easy to access for teachers and education leaders. Learn more
• Reflect: Help students recognize and navigate their emotions by providing regular opportunities to share and be heard. Reflect can help broaden learners' emotional vocabulary and deepen empathy for their peers while also providing valuable feedback to educators for a healthy classroom community. Learn more
• School Data Sync (SDS): A Microsoft 365 application for EDU tenants that connects with external 3rd-party systems (typically student information systems–SIS), to ingest and store data for the purposes of dynamic Microsoft 365 provisioning and enriched Microsoft 365 insights and analytics. Learn more
• Azure Data Export: Ability to export data from SDS and Education Insights (including Reflect, Assignments, and Progress / Coach data) into an Azure or 3rd -party data repository. This functionality currently requires Education Insights Premium.
• Open Education Analytics (OEA): An open-source effort led by Microsoft Education to empower education systems around the world to use data, analytics, and AI more effectively and ethically to improve learning outcomes. Institutions can access models from GitHub and learn best practices from other institutions to do advanced analytics such as predictive analytics. Learn more

Q: How much does Microsoft 365 Education cost?

There are three tiers of Microsoft 365 Education available, each with an array of helpful and inclusively designed features. Connect with one of our education experts to learn more about pricing and see how you can build an individualized plan that works best for your institution. Contact sales for your school

Q: What version of Microsoft 365 Education is right for my institution?

There are three versions of Microsoft 365 Education for your institution you can choose from:

• A1:   A simple, one-time-per-device learning solution for all your modern workloads. Support every learner with desktop apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Microsoft Teams, Minecraft: Education Edition, and more. This license also provides cloud management through Microsoft Intune for Education to save time by managing your devices in a single dashboard.
• A3: Enhance learning with desktop Office apps and increased security and management tools. Includes everything in the Microsoft 365 A1 license, plus additional features like Bookings and Live Events. The A3 plan also provides advanced security, management, and analytics.
• A5: Streamline licensing and potentially reduce costs with our most comprehensive suite of learning, compliance, security, and management tools. Includes all the teaching and learning features of Microsoft 365 A3.

Q: What languages are supported for your accessibility tools? What languages are supported for Reading Progress and Reading Coach?

• Available in over 50 languages to support ELL, non-native speakers, deaf learners, and those with auditory processing disorders or cognitive differences
• Real-time translation in over 100 languages with PowerPoint Live translation
• Reading Progress and Reading Coach is supported in over 100 languages List of supported languages

Q: What makes Learning Accelerators different from Google’s Practice Sets?

We can’t answer this directly, as Google’s Practice Sets is still not generally available. However, here are some differences based on what we do know.

• Pricing:   Learning Accelerators is a set of free tools (available with an Office 365 A1 free license), where Google Workplace requires their Plus or Teaching & Learning upgrade license.
• Skills & subjects: Learning Accelerators already support Reading and Search (digital literacy), and we are planning on launching new Learning Accelerators for Math and Speaking (communication) later this school year. It is unclear which subjects or skills Practice Sets will support beyond math.

Q: How does Microsoft support more equitable learning environments?

Microsoft is committed to supporting equitable learning environments in all school systems. This means using safe and trusted first-party solutions that foster inclusivity, enable real-time insights, leverage available cloud services, and best prepare students for the future.

• Microsoft provides students with equitable education solutions that are inclusively designed to help all learners achieve more.
• Microsoft delivers solutions for educators that help them accelerate learning, support social and emotional well-being, and prepare all students for the workplace of tomorrow.
• Microsoft Education solutions support instructional and IT leaders with trusted, secure, and future-proof hardware and software options that are affordable, simple, scalable, and sustainable to meet the critical needs of education today and in the future.

Q: Do you have any evidence on the efficacy of Learning Accelerators?

• Our teams have partnered with experts in each field to develop our Learning Accelerators tools. For example, we partnered with reading fluency experts such as Dr. Tim Rasinski, Pam Allyn, Dr. Mark Seidenberg, and Dr. Timothy Shanahan to develop Reading Progress and Reading Coach.
• Reading progress has been awarded a research-based design certification for Digital Promise

Q: How does Microsoft 365 Education provide me with a more holistic view of every student?

Many of our built-in tools are seamlessly integrated with Education Insights. Insights integrates student engagement with Teams for Education with Assignments, our emotional well-being survey tool Reflect, and Learning Accelerators to give educators and leaders a more holistic view of their students in an out of the box solution.

Talk with an expert for plan pricing

From a single classroom to an entire school district, Microsoft 365 Education has the tools students, educators, and IT professionals need to succeed. Connect with an expert to personalize your plan and receive pricing for your school.

Find Microsoft 365 Education resources

Microsoft Education Interactive Demos

Learn more about how to use Microsoft Education tools and programs.

Microsoft 365 Education documentation

Get information for IT admins, developers, and partners.

Microsoft Education highlights

Reimagine Education

Uniting changemakers and industry leaders, this 45-minute virtual event will address the rapidly evolving world of education. Gain insights on education equity, security, and workforce readiness in the era of AI from global innovators who share their next practices.

Accelerate learning by providing quality feedback

Feedback is a cornerstone of teaching and learning, but what type of feedback is beneficial for students?

Transforming literacy to unlock positive futures

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Each year, hundreds of K-12 schools in the U.S. alone experience cyberattacks…

• SCHOOL STORIES
• MICROSOFT LEARN EDUCATOR CENTER
• CONTACT SALES

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Research behind Reading Progress and Reading Coach, two reading fluency apps from Microsoft

• 3 contributors

Fluency develops from reading practice

The National Reading Panel (NRP) is a panel of reading instruction experts formed to compile all of the best evidence on how to teach reading to children. Chapter 3 states, “there is common agreement that fluency develops from reading practice . . . The NRP found that a range of well-described instructional approaches to encouraging repeated oral reading result in increased reading proficiency.”

• National Reading Panel. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health.

Oral reading fluency strongly correlates with the reading comprehension

The US National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is often called the national report card. It measures how well US students perform at basic reading skills. Oral reading fluency strongly correlates with the reading comprehension scores on this test.

• Sabatini, J., Wang, Z., & O’Reilly, T. (2019). Relating Reading Comprehension to Oral Reading Performance in the NAEP Fourth‐Grade Special Study of Oral Reading. Reading Research Quarterly, 54:2, 253-271.

Oral reading fluency practice continues to be important in middle school:

Oral reading fluency practice should begin in the early grades, but continues to be important in middle school.

• Rasinski, T., Rikli, A., & Johnston, S. (2009). Reading Fluency: More than Automaticity? More than a Concern for the Primary Grades? Literacy Research and Instruction, 48:4, 350-361.

Oral reading fluency instruction helps struggling readers

Oral reading fluency instruction also helps struggling readers.

• Wexler, J., Vaughn, S., Edmonds, M., & Reutebuch, C.K. (2008). A synthesis of fluency interventions for secondary struggling readers. Reading and Writing, 21:4, 317-347.

Oral reading fluency in middle school helps predict reading comprehension scores into high school

Oral reading fluency is important in middle school, but continues to predict reading comprehension scores into high school.

• Paige, D.D., Rasinski, T.V., & Magpuri-Lavell, T. (2012). Is fluent, expressive reading important for high school readers? Journal of Adolescent and Adult Literacy, 56:1, 67-76.

Additional resources

Microsoft customer stories

See how Microsoft tools help companies run their business.

CWRU to collaborate with Microsoft on AI in education, research

After a decade as partners advancing augmented reality in higher education , Case Western Reserve and Microsoft will once again explore how the company’s technologies can enhance the university experience.

Through a new Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), Case Western Reserve and Microsoft have agreed to collaborate on new ways to use artificial intelligence (AI) across the university’s curriculum, research and administration functions.

“AI is driving rapid growth and transforming entire industries,” said Case Western Reserve Provost Joy K. Ward. “I’m eager to explore how Microsoft’s advanced AI technologies can help us improve the outstanding academic and research experiences we offer to our students.”

The MOU signifies a shared commitment to advancing AI technology and its applications to benefit society. 

Through this new collaboration, Case Western Reserve looks to use the Microsoft Azure AI platform and Microsoft Copilot in multiple ways, such as:

• Developing an advanced AI curriculum;
• Equipping students with the necessary skills for the workforce;
• Jointly conducting research projects in Azure AI; and
• Advancing productivity across offices, such as automating routine tasks, enhancing decision-making and improving efficiency.

Plus, by infusing curricula with Microsoft’s platforms, the university will expose students to the power of AI across all disciplines, said Miro Humer, vice president of University Technology and chief information officer.

“Microsoft’s capabilities in AI can arm Case Western Reserve students with advanced understanding of not only how to use AI effectively but also ethically,” Humer said. “It also gives everyone at the university a chance to explore how AI can enhance or streamline the work they do.”

Among the first uses being explored: Weatherhead School of Management’s Executive Education program will launch a series of courses on generative AI. To help design the new classes, Microsoft representatives will lead a “prompt-a-thon” with key faculty and staff members, explained Youngjin Yoo, the Elizabeth M. and William C. Treuhaft Professorship in Entrepreneurship and associate dean for research at the Weatherhead School.

“In the last century, during the peak of industrialization, the Weatherhead School led the world by creating the first PhD programs in organizational behavior and operations research among U.S. business schools,” Yoo said. “Now, we are leading the way again by creating human-centered AI programs building on our traditional strengths in emotional intelligence, organizational transformation, design, and digital innovation.”

“We’re pleased to collaborate with Case Western Reserve University, exploring the transformative potential of AI. This collaboration resonates with the university’s dedication to using AI for the benefit of its community,” said Lydia Smyers, vice president, US Academics, Microsoft. “United by a commitment to excellence, integrity, and inclusivity, our relationship champions ethical innovation for the nation’s future.”

A history of collaboration

This initiative marks nearly a decade of collaborative work between Case Western Reserve and Microsoft. In 2014, Microsoft and Case Western Reserve began collaborating on software using the Microsoft HoloLens augmented-reality product for anatomy courses— announced in 2015 and later launched as HoloAnatomy . 

Since then, university collaborators, especially within the Interactive Commons , have developed myriad uses for the headset device—such as an exploration of narwhals led by Meryl Streep , a futuristic dance performance and, more recently, putting medieval objects into the hands of student researchers .

In addition, in 2019, Microsoft researchers’ “quantum-inspired” algorithms led to dramatic improvements in the application of CWRU’s pioneering technique , magnetic resonance fingerprinting.

Planning for the future

This collaboration with Microsoft marks another initiative at Case Western Reserve to embed AI across the university.

Last summer, President Eric W. Kaler asked the Office of the Provost and Faculty Senate to assemble an AI in Education Task Force to explore the impacts of AI on student learning and teaching, with the goal to prepare students who are AI literate and who can employ the power of AI. 

The AI Task Force is co-chaired by Ward and Faculty Senate Chair and Associate Professor of Neurology Maureen McEnery, and its members include about 40 faculty, staff and administrators. In January, the task force shared a report with Kaler that included a roadmap and recommendations to achieving leadership in AI educational outcomes.

“The possibilities for using AI to revolutionize what we do and how we do it are remarkable—so long as we enact them ethically and responsibly,” President Kaler said. “This collaboration with Microsoft marks yet another way in which we are providing forward-thinking experiences for our community that can transform our academics, research and overall operations for the better.”

Transforming the future of higher education with Microsoft technology

How the EY organisation supported the University of East London to enhance student experience using customer relationship management (CRM)

• 1. Better question
• 2. Better answer
• 3. Better working world

How EY can help

To transform the future of learning, how should you transform yourself.

The University of East London (UEL) has been supporting students to develop the skills required to thrive in their careers since 1898. Currently, over 15,000 students from 150 nationalities attend courses at its campuses in Stratford and the Royal Albert Dock. As a careers-focussed university, UEL equips their students with the skills, tools and competencies that are increasingly critical for successful graduate-level employment in a rapidly changing world.

Global higher education is becoming increasingly competitive, as the number and diversity of higher-education institutions continue to evolve with differing expectations on services from new generations of students. Recognising the crucial role of personalisation within the educational experience, UEL set out on a programme of radical transformation — using customer relationship management (CRM) — to develop an enhanced experience for all learners. The goal was to enable the University to compete more effectively in the market and help them in their mission of becoming the leading careers-focussed, enterprising university in the UK. 

As a part of this ambitious ‘Vision 2028’ plan, UEL recognised a need to completely update their central ‘student relationship management platform.’ By creating a rich platform to manage the end-to-end student life cycle, the University would be able to better support, guide and inform their community of students, prospective students, staff, and corporate partners. 

To deliver this bold agenda, UEL worked with us to design, build and support a learner-centric platform that would connect departments, and offer a better experience for staff and students alike. 

Developing a CRM-enhanced learning experience at speed

When considering the challenge, EY team leveraged its insights into the UK higher-education sector along with the latest version of Microsoft Dynamics 365 — which had been configured to address the needs of a UK university. By using their library of pre-built functionalities for the higher education sector, we were able to deliver a rapid start to the project for UEL, as some functionalities around specific processes, including applications, enrolment and clearing, had already been designed and built.  

The goal was to create a platform which could be used across a wide range of teams — from student recruitment to student services and alumni. This would be the single point of truth for all student information — from initial contact through their time whilst studying and into life post-university. This system would allow for a 360-degree view of every enquirer, learner or alumnus, empowering staff to create relevant, tailored messaging and support at every touch point.  

Working closely with UEL stakeholders, including leaders from marketing, alumni relations and student services, our consultants designed a solution that could be delivered in phases to deliver rapid results to multiple teams. Each phase was designed to replace multiple legacy in-house or third-party platforms to consolidate and cleanse relevant data, in addition to delivering new functionalities that would help UEL to deliver a more personalised learning experience. Adopting this strategy has resulted in a reduction in the long-term costs and risks associated with running multiple systems. It has also increased UEL’s governance and security by minimising the number of places in which data is held.  

In March 2020, just as the project team was beginning the first phase of work, the UK was ordered into a lockdown. With people instructed to work from home whenever possible, the decision was made to continue the project and leverage tools, such as Microsoft Teams, to conduct workshops and meetings. Despite these challenges, the team was able to deliver the first phase of the project on time and to scope — completely remotely.  

Like many organisations, the pandemic brought new challenges to the University. However, the rapid delivery of a new, flexible Microsoft Dynamics 365 platform gave UEL a way to innovate and address these challenges quickly. For example, when leisure facilities were authorised to reopen under strict restrictions, the University’s SportsDock facility — which incorporates the University’s gyms, fitness classes and sports teams — suddenly needed a way to monitor and set limits on attendance across their sporting facilities.  

Rather than purchasing an additional third-party tool, UEL worked with us to deliver this functionality within Dynamics 365. This was delivered in just three weeks and enabled SportsDock to reopen with the confidence that they were meeting legal regulations. Since then, EY has worked with SportsDock to integrate with their membership platform. This enables the team to make use of the enhanced email-marketing tools within Dynamics 365 and bring their communications in line with the consistent digital experience that students now experience across the rest of the campus. 

To date, the EY team and UEL have delivered transformational functionalities across the Marketing and Enquiries, On-Course, Alumni, and External Relations departments. In total, 16 legacy solutions and services have been identified as being able to be removed due to the implementation. By consolidating solutions and removing legacy technology, UEL can reduce the cost, risk and administrative overheads involved in managing multiple environments (each with their own sets of data), as well as reducing the number of system integrations that need to be maintained. UEL teams can also enjoy richer data analysis, by bringing together previously disparate sets of data onto one platform. 

UEL is achieving annual information technology (IT) cost savings of approximately £120,000 as a result of decommissioning multiple systems, in addition to savings relating to temporary staff and training due to the introduction of automation. The University is also able to save approximately 10,000 staff hours per annum, allowing staff to focus on value-added activities and service improvement. Teams now have enhanced analytics capabilities and the ability to create insightful reporting, such as return on investment from marketing campaigns.  

UEL staff resourcing

staff hours saved per year (approximately).

Organisational risk has decreased due to the rationalisation of data silos, improvements in data quality and enhancements to audit tracking. The creation of a single data set within Microsoft Dynamics 365 means a reduction in manual rekeying and moving data between systems, resulting in a more secure and accurate environment. The system also has enhanced integration with other business-critical systems, including UEL’s Student Record System.

UEL is delivering proactive, integrated communications with prospective, current and former students, which has seen increased email-open rates and higher satisfaction ratings amongst alumni. Communication ratings across all recruitment audiences are well above industry benchmarks and growing year over year (YoY). In the second year of using the CRM solution for Prospects and Applicant communications, open rates have increased by 16% and offer holder click-through rates have increased by 10%. 

Prospect and Applicant communications

increase in open rates in year two

The University is now able to deliver a more personalised experience for each learner — from pre-arrival, application, enrolment, time on-course and into life post-university — powered by consolidated and enriched data. Messaging is carefully considered and consistent, thanks to the introduction of updated governance, policies and procedures surrounding student communications, such as branding and communication frequency. Communication ratings and Net Promoter Score increased amongst the alumni community following the implementation of the solution.

The University and Project Team carefully considered accessibility requirements, and additional staff needs. They prepared the platform to work alongside screen readers for those with visual impairments. 

The University expects to realise further benefits in 2022, including estimated revenue increases in excess of £1.8mn across Student Enrolment, Residential Accommodation and SportsDock facilities, through improved campaign automation and increased conversion rates. Measurable efficiencies are expected for the Student Hub when addressing student enquiries. For example, telephonic integration is expected to save between 1 and 1.5 minutes on each phone call, by automatically surfacing relevant contact information for each call. The number of email enquiries managed by the Student Hub team is expected to reduce by approximately 10% to 15% through the use of automation. UEL estimates an increase of first-touch resolution rates from 88% to 95%, delivering a better experience for learners and creating efficiencies for staff. 

Lastly, due to enhanced insights and proactive intervention enabled by Dynamics 365, the University anticipates improvements to student retention, resulting in higher numbers of students completing their courses and mitigation against loss of income for UEL. 

This has seen a radical improvement in market attractiveness and we have increased our income by over 19%. It is really a significant achievement

Delivering an enhanced learner journey for all

UEL is proud to be delivering an enhanced and personalised learner journey for all students, thanks to its seamless physical and digital interconnected experience. The ability to nurture strong relationships with their students, and collect insight into their experience at the University and beyond is helping UEL on their journey to compete effectively, and support their ambition to become the leading careers-focussed, enterprising university in the UK.

The benefits of the programme extend far beyond the bottom line. It has put in place mechanisms to truly support students at every stage of their education — from encouraging them to follow their learning ambitions via applications, to ensuring that they have the support they need to thrive on-course and into their careers.  

It has been one of the most successful IT projects I have ever implemented. The EY team really understood the business of a university.’

Footnote: Data supplied by the University of East London, 2022.

Please note: Services to UEL were rendered by Pythagoras Communications Holdings Ltd which has subsequently been acquired by EY. More information can be found here at EY announces acquisition of UK technology business, Pythagoras Communications Holdings Limited | EY UK

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EY is a global leader in assurance, consulting, strategy and transactions, and tax services. The insights and quality services we deliver help build trust and confidence in the capital markets and in economies the world over. We develop outstanding leaders who team to deliver on our promises to all of our stakeholders. In so doing, we play a critical role in building a better working world for our people, for our clients and for our communities.

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Home / Case Studies / ABS Capital Partners

Financial capital firm reduces costs with Office 365 and Creospark

Published on April 16, 2020

Creospark’s goal is to transform your workplace into an enthusiastic environment for your people to work better, faster, and smarter. Creospark was established from a dream to create a different company – to deliver quickly and effectively, to facilitate the right change to support people and to give back. Creospark believes that in the ever-changing digital environment, it is extremely important to harness the power of the cloud.

Founded in 1990, ABS Capital Partners (ABS), an American private equity firm, focused on investments in companies across a range of industries, including business and education services, information and communications technology, and health care. The firm has raised approximately $2.5 billion since inception across several funds.

ABS, which is focused on helping organizations by providing growth capital, had to connect their Salesforce CRM, which contained vital secure client information, to their Office 365 and SharePoint cloud document management platform where they stored related client documentation and metadata. ABS tasked Creospark, a Microsoft Partner, with integrating these systems in a fashion where source system data and documents would be accessed from each system to increase employee productivity and ease of use.

There is an increasing need for financial capital companies, like ABS, to stay attuned to the latest technology trends and use best-of-breed cloud software platforms to efficiently and effectively optimize their organizational business needs. They are, at the same time finding the need to transfer content and data amongst these disparate and disconnected cloud platforms.

For ABS, there didn’t seem to be an easy way to do this without spending enormous amounts of money to bring in a specialist for each individual system.

With a significant portion of ABS’s workforce constantly updating account, opportunity, and deal data within their Salesforce CRM, it was vital that there would be a seamless experience derived from the CRM for accessing documents and related content for collaboration within their SharePoint platform. Furthermore, it was a tedious process to update both systems with customer and deal information. Ancillary benefits anticipated by engaging in this project was a reduction in operational costs for storage of customer related documents in the cloud.

Fortunately, modern cloud services with the Microsoft cloud and content services stack facilitate connecting these systems to allow access to the information needed from their cloud software platforms.

ABS selected Creospark as their systems integration partner due to an existing partner relationship and expert qualifications. Working together to define requirements, as well as selecting the best-in-class Microsoft enterprise cloud-based middleware, workflow tools, and content service technologies, the team derived an implementation plan as well as a technical design for the best solution to meet the company’s needs and reduce operational costs.

Creospark designed a solution that eliminated the need to manually transfer account, opportunity, and deal data to SharePoint from Salesforce. Once in SharePoint, Power Automate flows are initialized to perform further refinement on library content and data based on business requirements. Furthermore, this solution allowed capabilities to open SharePoint document libraries directly from the Salesforce CRM interface with the appropriate security being added on the SharePoint libraries.

The solution involved using the following components:

• Modern Cloud Content Services such as SharePoint and Power Automate within the Office 365 stack for document management and workflows to meet business requirements
• Security and compliance management for auditing and information protection
• Microsoft Azure App Services to facilitate triggered metadata transfer from the Salesforce CRM environment to the SharePoint environment

As a result, ABS reduced operational costs on the manual transfer of account related metadata on both systems. There has also been significant savings on the costs of document management by using their existing SharePoint document management system, which provides an ample amount of space with the subscription. In addition, they satisfied their governance policies of storing all account related documentation within SharePoint and made their workers more productive by automating workflows by using Power Automate. ABS is now expanding its adoption of Office 365 and Azure in terms of security and compliance, as well as workflows within SharePoint, given the cost savings benefits.

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AI + Machine Learning , Azure AI , Azure AI Services , Azure AI Studio , Azure OpenAI Service , Best practices

AI study guide: The no-cost tools from Microsoft to jump start your generative AI journey

By Natalie Mickey Product Marketing Manager, Data and AI Skilling, Azure

Posted on April 15, 2024 4 min read

The world of AI is constantly changing. Every day it seems there are new ways we can work with generative AI and large language models. It can be hard to know where to start your own learning journey when it comes to AI. Microsoft has put together several resources to help you get started. Whether you are ready to build your own copilot or you’re at the very beginning of your learning journey, read on to find the best and free resources from Microsoft on generative AI training.

Build intelligent apps at enterprise scale with the Azure AI portfolio

Azure AI fundamentals

If you’re just starting out in the world of AI, I highly recommend Microsoft’s Azure AI Fundamentals course . It includes hands on exercises, covers Azure AI Services, and dives into the world of generative AI. You can either take the full course in one sitting or break it up and complete a few modules a day.

Learning path: Azure AI fundamentals

Course highlight: Fundamentals of generative AI module

Azure AI engineer

For those who are more advanced in AI knowledge, or are perhaps software engineers, this learning path is for you. This path will guide you through building AI infused applications that leverage Azure AI Services, Azure AI Search, and Open AI.

Course highlight: Get started with Azure OpenAI Service module

Let’s get building with Azure AI Studio

Imagine a collaborative workshop where you can build AI apps, test pre-trained models, and deploy your creations to the cloud, all without getting lost in mountains of code. In our newest learning path , you will learn how to build generative AI applications like custom copilots that use language models to provide value to your users.

Learning path: Create custom copilots with Azure AI Studio (preview)

Course highlight: Build a RAG-based copilot solution with your own data using Azure AI Studio (preview) module

Dive deep into generative AI with Azure OpenAI Service

If you have some familiarity with Azure and experience programming with C# or Python, you can dive right into the Microsoft comprehensive generative AI training.

Learning path: Develop generative AI solutions with Azure OpenAI Service

Course highlight: Implement Retrieval Augmented Generation (RAG) with Azure OpenAI Service module

Cloud Skills Challenges

Microsoft Azure’s Cloud Skills Challenges are free and interactive events that provide access to our tailored skilling resources for specific solution areas. Each 30-day accelerated learning experience helps users get trained in Microsoft AI. The program offers learning modules, virtual training days, and even a virtual leaderboard to compete head-to-head with your peers in the industry. Learn more about Cloud Skills Challenges here , then check out these challenges to put your AI skills to the test.

Invest in App Innovation to Stay Ahead of the Curve

Challenges 1-3 will help you prepare for Microsoft AI Applied Skills, scenario-based credentials. Challenges 4 and 5 will help you prepare for Microsoft Azure AI Certifications, with the potential of a 50% exam discount on your certification of choice 1 .

Challenge #1: Generative AI with Azure OpenAI

In about 18 hours, you’ll learn how to train models to generate original content based on natural language input. You should already have familiarity with Azure and experience programming with C# or Python. Begin now!

Challenge #2: Azure AI Language

Build a natural language processing solution with Azure AI Language. In about 20 hours, you’ll learn how to use language models to interpret the semantic meaning of written or spoken language. You should already have familiarity with the Azure portal and experience programming with C# or Python. Begin now!

Challenge #3: Azure AI Document Intelligence

Show off your smarts with Azure AI Document Intelligence Solutions. In about 21 hours, you’ll learn how to use natural language processing (NLP) solutions to interpret the meaning of written or spoken language. You should already have familiarity with the Azure portal and C# or Python programming. Begin now!

Challenge #4: Azure AI Fundamentals

Build a robust understanding of machine learning and AI principles, covering computer vision, natural language processing, and conversational AI. Tailored for both technical and non-technical backgrounds, this learning adventure guides you through creating no-code predictive models, delving into conversational AI, and more—all in just about 10 hours.

Complete the challenge within 30 days and you’ll be eligible for 50% off the cost of a Microsoft Certification exam. Earning your Azure AI Fundamentals certification can supply the foundation you need to build your career and demonstrate your knowledge of common AI and machine learning workloads—and what Azure services can solve for them. Begin now!

Challenge #5: Azure AI Engineer

Go beyond theory to build the future. This challenge equips you with practical skills for managing and leveraging Microsoft Azure’s Cognitive Services. Learn everything from secure resource provisioning to real-time performance monitoring. You’ll be crafting cutting-edge AI solutions in no time, all while preparing for Exam AI-102 and your Azure AI Engineer Associate certification . Dive into interactive tutorials, hands-on labs, and real-world scenarios. Complete the challenge within 30 days and you’ll be eligible for 50% off the cost of a Microsoft Certification exam 2 . Begin now!

Finally, our free Microsoft AI Virtual Training Days are a great way to immerse yourself in free one or two-day training sessions. We have three great options for Azure AI training:

• Azure AI Fundamentals
• Generative AI Fundamentals
• Building Generative Apps with Azure OpenAI Service

Start your AI learning today

For any and all AI-related learning opportunities, check out the Microsoft Learn AI Hub including tailored AI training guidance . You can also follow our Azure AI and Machine Learning Tech Community Blogs for monthly study guides .

• Microsoft Cloud Skills Challenge | 30 Days to Learn It – Official Rules
• https://developer.microsoft.com/en-us/offers/30-days-to-learn-it/official-rules#terms-and-conditions

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