Copilot Study and Learn is a mode Copilot can operate in that employs Microsoft’s “study and learn agent,” which is built on learning science practices and designed to encourage active thinking rather than give away answers. I recently tried it and was impressed overall. It does a better job than Copilot in its normal mode at guiding students through the learning process.
Here’s a closer look at how to use Copilot Study and Learn, what I like about it, and where I felt it could still use some work.
What is Copilot Study and Learn
Copilot Study and Learn is an AI agent within Copilot specifically designed for learning. Copilot Study and Learn is programmed to incorporate concepts from learning science, including adaptive scaffolding, productive struggle, active learning, and application and transfer.
The tool is available for all education subscribers to Copilot. Activate it by opening Copilot, clicking the plus sign in the left-hand corner of the prompt box, and selecting the Study and Learn option.
Where Copilot Study and Learn Earns High Marks
Copilot did a wonderful job of refusing to do the work for me. It never turned into an answer machine, which most chatbots do and I have found to be an issue even for some study and learning AI chatbot modes I’ve looked at in the past.
Specifically, Copilot Study and Learn did a nice job giving me a brief lesson on elementary particles. Elementary particles are, as Copilot put it, not made of smaller pieces, “as far as we know.”
Copilot began the lesson by asking me what I knew from what atoms are made. After I said, “I know atoms are made of protons, which consist of quarks and something else, and electrons,” Copilot responded:
Nice—you’re already thinking at the right level 👍
You said atoms have protons (made of quarks) and electrons. Let’s sharpen that a bit:
Protons are made of quarks
There’s also another particle in the nucleus… (you hinted “something else”)
Electrons are not made of smaller pieces (as far as we know)
Similarly, when I entered a writing prompt I use with my Composition 100 college students, it actually provided really good advice on putting together the essay.
By comparison, last time I tried ChatGPT in study mode it would almost always end up writing material for me as "an example." Even though ChatGPT kept telling me it wouldn't write my essay, that's exactly what it did.
Copilot did not do this and, in fact, refused to write the paper for me even when I tried to trick it into writing my paper by asking it to write it as an example.
Where Copilot Study and Learn Could Use Additional Supports
Despite its successes, my experience with Copilot Study and Learn was not all positive. Copilot provides constant links to back up the lessons it gives. This seemed like a major plus at first, but annoyingly, many of these links have to be copied and pasted and are not shared as URL links. Worse, many links--at least 25%--did not work. Copilot also had a tendency to refer to illustrations within these links, which compounded the problem. Of course, using visual aids is a great teaching tool, but not if the links to the illustrations don't work.
More broadly, as impressive as Copilot Study and Learn and other similar tools are, these have an inherent limitation when it comes to motivation. I found the more I used these tools, the more bored I became. Learning is hard, and I’m not saying a new chatbot should solve that problem entirely, but to be effective these tools need to be at least as engaging as existing learning technology, such as YouTube videos or gamified learning apps such as Duolingo. Right now, I'm not sure these are. As impressive Copilot in study and learn is, watching YouTube videos on elementary particles taught me more quickly and was more entertaining.
Of course, combining the two, a video followed by a short interactive conversation, might be the way to go.
Bottom Line: Copilot Study and Learn
Yes, Copilot Study and Learn is a tool I would recommend for school leaders and educators to use with their students. It has its flaws to be sure, but overall it's a really effective AI tutor.
Research into whether these tools work well and how to get the most out of any one is still emerging, but I believe that in some form, these tools will be a part of the future of education.
That said, I don’t think these will ever replace real-life tutors for a variety of reasons. For one thing, these platforms currently are not as effective as a skilled tutor, which is effective because you're meeting with another human and creating a connection that goes beyond simply improving learning.
Then again, tutoring can be expensive and students don't have 24/7 access to tutors on demand.
Ultimately, my gut feeling is that right now, tools such as Copilot Study and Learn would work better in conjunction with more traditional learning tools as a supplement to textbooks, videos , class time, and human tutoring.
