Microsoft dedicated copilot workshop

The Bhawanipur Education Society College organised a three-day workshop for its students in collaboration with Microsoft spanning the 24th, 25th and 26th of June 2024 in the Placement Hall on the college campus. The primary focus of this event was to provide students and teachers with a personalised experience and familiarise them with Copilot; an AI tool through which we can generate images within the blink of an eye on Microsoft Office 365.

On Day 1, the event witnessed a strong student response which was heartwarming, with many of them lining up to attend the workshop eagerly. The first batch went in at 12:45 P.M. with nearly 15 attendees and each session spanned around 10 minutes. As they sat down in the hall, the Microsoft team volunteers helped them understand the functions of Copilot and engaged them on individual laptops. It was uplifting to see the varied imaginations of the attendees, who generated and edited images that ranged from aliens to cricket. The candidate with the most creative image was awarded a Microsoft goody bag which contained an insulated bottle and a mouse pad. In total, the day saw approximately 120 attendees taught in 8 batches of 15 each; which led the event to end at 3:30 P.M. On Day 2, the crowd response was lower compared to Day 1, hence, the event started at 11:15 A.M. with 5 participants out of which were teachers from the Morning Commerce department. It was encouraging to witness the older generation embracing and adapting to new technology, the participants imagined everything from Nagaland dragons to the Seven Wonders on a world map. 4 goody bags were awarded to the best images. The event ended at noon.

On Day 3, this workshop was conducted at Society Hall by Mr Guru, who has been a research analyst for over 2 years with Microsoft. The event started at 2:30 P.M. with the host briefly introducing the crowd to AI and Copilot, using multiple examples to help the attendees understand the potential uses of the applications. This session was interactive with an enthusiastic and curious crowd of more than 50 participants. A person from the audience was also requested to volunteer from time to time and was awarded a goody bag. Due to the prolonged session, refreshments were provided to students such as a beverage and chips during the session.

The session ended with a vote of thanks and felicitation of Mr Guru by Prof. Minakshi Chaturvedi, Coordinator of the Department of Commerce (Morning). She ended with the thought that if the students are interested in this field, then they can choose to enroll in the Career Connect course of MS Office provided by BESC.

Reporter – Aanya Singh
Photographer – Agrag Ghosh