Microsoft Copilot Academy now available to all Microsoft 365 users
We are pleased to announce that all Microsoft 365 users can now access Microsoft Copilot Academy to improve their AI and Copilot skills. This academy – curated by Microsoft experts – provides a comprehensive, structured learning experience designed to help users master the use of Copilot through hands-on learning activities and experiences. Click here to learn more about what Copilot Academy includes. Last year, we announced the academy was available to all Microsoft 365 Copilot users. We have now lifted the Copilot license requirement, giving immediate access to any user with a Microsoft 365 license. No additional registration or administrative action is required to start using Copilot Academy. Please see appendix 1 for an updated table that lists the licenses that grant access to Copilot Academy. Use Copilot Academy to train users before assigning Copilot licenses The new licensing structure for Copilot Academy unlocks a new scenario for administrators – ensuring users commit to Copilot training through the academy before receiving a Copilot license. Administrators can now use Copilot Academy as a tool to teach users how to leverage Copilot before a license has been assigned. This allows users to see the value of Copilot and learn how it can maximize their productivity throughout the workday. Upskilling before receiving a license encourages faster time-to-value with Copilot and helps identify workstreams where Copilot will have the greatest impact. View of Microsoft Copilot Academy. The academy is accessed through the Academies tab on the menu bar. Microsoft 365 users can access the Copilot Academy by navigating to the Academies tab in Viva Learning and selecting Microsoft Copilot Academy or accessing the academy link directly at https://aka.ms/copilotacademy. Additionally, the AI & Copilot Resources provider options help users easily browse or filter Copilot Academy content. Users can browse Copilot Academy materials on the Viva Learning homepage or filter searches with the Provider filter option. Admin experience All learning administrators can configure the visibility of Microsoft Copilot Academy – this includes Knowledge Admins, Knowledge Managers, and users with administrator access provided by feature access management. The tenant-wide default for Copilot Academy access is set to everyone but can be changed to Microsoft 365 Copilot Licensed Users – restricting the academy to only those with the Copilot license. Administrators can control the content provider that powers Copilot Academy through a dedicated provider called AI & Copilot Resources, accessible in the Admin tab in Viva Learning under Manage Providers. This will now appear alongside other default learning providers like Microsoft Learn, Microsoft 365 Training, and LinkedIn Learning. The AI & Copilot Resources provider can be added or deleted in the Manage Providers tab, and provider permissions can be managed in the Manage Permissions tab under the Admin menu. Additionally, the AI & Copilot Resources provider can be disabled, which will disable all learning paths within Copilot Academy. For an in-depth feature breakdown, click here to review the complete documentation on Microsoft Learn. Administrators can manage permissions for the– AI & Copilot Resources content provider powering the Microsoft Copilot Academy. Looking ahead Upcoming functionality the team is currently working on to enhance the Microsoft Copilot Academy includes: Support for custom group access to Copilot Academy – this would enable administrators to provide access to the academy through security groups Notification settings – administrators will have the option to configure (and disable if desired) the default monthly notifications. Appendix 1: Users with any of the licenses below can now access Copilot Academy Microsoft 365 A3 for faculty Office 365 A1 for faculty Microsoft 365 A5 for faculty Office 365 A3 for faculty Microsoft 365 Business Basic Office 365 A5 for faculty Microsoft 365 Business Premium Office 365 E1 Microsoft 365 Business Standard Office 365 E3 Microsoft 365 E3 Office 365 E5 Microsoft 365 E5 Office 365 F2 Microsoft 365 F1 Office 365 F3 Microsoft 365 F3 Microsoft Viva Suite for faculty Microsoft Viva Suite Microsoft Viva Suite with Glint for faculty Microsoft Viva Suite with Glint Microsoft 365 Copilot Microsoft Viva LearningMicrosoft Copilot Academy extensibility features now generally available
We are extending the capabilities of the Microsoft Copilot Academy to provide more users with targeted resources to upskill on Microsoft 365 Copilot through structured learning. Learning administrators can now customize the Copilot Academy with content tailored to their industry or organization without creating a new academy from scratch. Last September, we announced that this academy is available to everyone with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. No additional registration or administrative action is required to start using Copilot Academy. Click here for a Copilot Academy feature breakdown. While access to Copilot Academy does not require a premium license, the new Copilot Academy extensibility features require both a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license in addition to a Viva Learning paid license or Viva suite paid license. Copilot Academy extensibility features simplify customization While customers continue to upskill on Copilot using the out-of-the-box Copilot Academy experience, we identified an opportunity to provide a tailored academy that incorporates industry specific materials and learning paths alongside Microsoft-curated content. This approach helps customers leverage the academy to upskill Copilot knowledge in an organization or industry-specific context. An admin can save time creating a custom Copilot Academy by duplicating the existing Copilot Academy, which can then be modified to their specifications. Accessing this new functionality is simple and doesn’t require admins to gain additional permissions or learn new systems. Customizing the Copilot Academy Learning admins can customize the Copilot Academy in the manage academies tab by selecting the academy and duplicating it. From there, the duplicated academy can be visually overhauled with a custom logo and background image. Next, the admin identifies areas of the Copilot Academy that would benefit from specialized content and uploads the desired materials from SharePoint to the academy. When organizing new learning paths into sections, additional organization through subsections is now possible, providing admins greater control to create guided experiences. Existing learning paths and content can be edited just as easily, giving admins complete content curation capabilities. The academy can be further customized with new options to hide components of the learning academy including the featured courses carousel or the Learner Profile Card for admins preferring a streamlined appearance. Customized Copilot Academy in action The screen below shows an example of what is achievable with the new extensibility features for Copilot Academy. In this example, a company in the healthcare industry has created a Copilot Academy and tailored the content as well as the appearance to align with their organization’s needs. Each number correlates to new functionality that is now generally available. Click here for a detailed breakdown of Copilot Academy capabilities, including extensibility features. showing an example of an industry-specific Copilot Academy. The example above is a Healthcare Copilot Academy experience with key features highlighted. Features shown in the screen shot: Customized logo – this can be any image the admin uploads when the academy is being edited. Custom background image – as with the logo, this can be any image the admin uploads. This feature allows admins to achieve further brand alignment of their customized Copilot Academy. Tiered sections and subsections – this area displays learning paths within the academy. These can now be nested into sections, and further into subsections to provide seamless discovery and quicker learning path navigation for users. Hide specific academy components – the ability for admins to hide the learner profile card or the featured content provides the option to create a sleeker academy experience. Editable learning paths – admins can now edit learning paths after they have been published to adjust their metadata or content. Looking ahead The Viva Learning team is already working on the next set of improvements to the academy experience. We expect to make the following features generally available in calendar year 2025: Ability to preview courses in an academy without navigating to the learning path details page. Contextual search within academies will help users with discoverability of content. Alphabetical sorting of academies in the academy dropdown menu for a more intuitive experience.Transforming learning and engagement with Viva Learning: A Microsoft Customer Success Story
In today's fast-paced digital world, organizations are constantly seeking innovative ways to enhance their learning and development processes. Here, we’ll highlight how a global financial institution partnered with Microsoft to transform their learning journey using Viva Learning. This initiative not only improved their employees’ learning experience, but also significantly boosted employee engagement and productivity. The challenge The customer, a publicly traded savings and investments manager with operations across the globe, faced significant challenges in their learning journey. With around 15,000 employees, they struggled with fragmented learning content spread across multiple platforms, including Workday, LinkedIn Learning, and Go1. This led to low engagement, difficulty in finding relevant content, and reduced time to complete their learning, for employees who were already pressed to find time for mandatory training and learning. The solution The customer decided to implement Viva Learning due to its seamless integration with Microsoft Teams, personalized content, and a simplified, one-stop-shop learning experience. This decision was driven by the need to provide a unified and engaging learning platform that aligned with their digital strategy. Implementation journey User research and feedback collection: The customer conducted workshops to understand employee pain points, which included overwhelming content, scattered resources, and lack of time for learning. These insights informed the design and implementation of Viva Learning, ensuring a user-centric solution. Technical configuration and integration: The customer worked on integrating Viva Learning with their existing LMS (Workday) and other content providers like LinkedIn Learning and Go1. This involved resolving content duplication, ensuring smooth synchronization, and maintaining a seamless user experience. Launch and engagement strategy: The rollout was done in phases, starting with a pilot group of 75 super users, followed by people managers, and then all employees. A teaser campaign and dedicated Viva Engage communities were used to drive engagement and adoption. Results The pilot program showed impressive results, with a 3000% increase in mandatory learning completions on day one in Q2 compared to Q1. The customer also saw increased consumption of LinkedIn Learning and Go1 content, optimizing resources for employees’ own internal mobility. Next steps The customer continues to work with Microsoft to develop Viva Glint surveys and provide feedback for new features through Microsoft’s NDA Viva Customer Connection Program. They view Viva Learning as a transformative tool for ongoing learning and skill development, which has led to integrating other Microsoft Viva and Copilot projects into their ecosystem as they continue to empower and engage their employees. Conclusion This success story demonstrates the power of Viva Learning in transforming learning and engagement within an organization. By leveraging a unified and personalized learning platform, the customer was able to overcome their challenges and drive significant improvements in employee engagement and productivity. Leverage the same assets Microsoft used with this customer for your own business transformation journey: Workshop assets: Discovery workshop: https://aka.ms/VivaLearning/DiscoveryWorkshop Empathy map quick start guide: https://aka.ms/VivaLearning/EmpathyMap Technical configuration assets: Viva Learning envisioning document: https://aka.ms/VivaLearning/EnvisioningDocument Stakeholder and Plan document: https://aka.ms/VivaLearning/StakeholderDocument Viva Learning Workday integration template: https://aka.ms/VivaLearning/WorkdayIntegrationTemplate
