In this blog post, we will explore how the recently released ‘View Prompts‘ feature in Microsoft Copilot enhances the user experience and adds educational value, making it an essential tool for academic staff (and students). From fostering critical thinking to enabling personalised interactions, discover how this feature can transform your approach to using GenAI at Teesside University.
This feature provides the following functionality:
- Search for and select a pre-written prompt from a repository of prompts.
- Having developed a prompt, save it for reuse in the future.
The blog post includes both video and screenshot instructions on using the updated feature(s).
Contents
- Introduction to View Prompts feature in Microsoft Copilot.
- Why do I need to read a blog on the View Prompts feature?
- Instructional video (including link to previous blog post video)
- Using the ‘View Prompts’ feature to search for a pre-written prompt.
- Refining your pre-written prompt search.
- Saving a prompts for future use.
- Reusing a saved prompt
- Deleting a saved prompt
- Conclusion
Introduction to the View Prompts feature in Microsoft Copilot
Enhancing User Experience and Educational Value with Microsoft Copilot’s new ‘View Prompts’ Feature
In the ever-evolving landscape of educational technology, tools that enhance both user experience and learning outcomes are invaluable. Microsoft Copilot, its generative artificial intelligence Chatbot has introduced a new innovative ‘View Prompts‘ feature. This feature provides transparency and new ways to customise workflows when using the tool. It improves how we interact with the tool which in turn provides significant educational benefits, particularly for academic staff.
The update offers the ability to see and tailor the very prompts that guide Copilot’s responses. This new level of insight and control can transform educators’ and academic’s engagement with the Copilot platform. By understanding the logic behind AI-generated answers to prompts, it is then possible to craft more effective prompts, leading to more precise and relevant information being generated. This feature will serve as an enhanced learning tool, helping staff (and students) develop better questioning techniques and a deeper understanding of AI capabilities.
Why do I need to read a blog on the View Prompts feature?
This blog post doesn’t have the answers to how to craft the perfect prompt post and many different frameworks have been developed by individuals (and universities) that involved different prompt engineering and design techniques. Instead, this blog post will look at how Microsoft Copilot can support and enhance the use of GenAI to efficiently provide meaningful prompt outputs.
Microsoft Copilot Functionality Update Part 2: View & Save Prompts
It was also identified that there was a problem with the embedded video in the previously released “Microsoft Copilot (GenAI Chatbot) feature update – November 2024” blog post. The embedded video can now be viewed via the HTML version of the blog post or directly here.
The following embedded video shows the new feature and its associated functionality. If viewing the blog post in email please use the attached link to view the video as the email client may automatically removed the embedded video code as a security precaution.
Link to Microsoft Copilot feature update 2 (View Prompts) video
1. Searching for a pre-written prompt
Depending upon the complexity of the prompt, the amount of planning, time and effort (and text!) can be very resource-heavy. Rather than trying to develop a new prompt from scratch, there is now the option to view a repository of pre-created prompts within Microsoft Copilot via the new ‘View Prompts’ feature. This feature can be accessed within Copilot regardless of whether you are starting a new completely new conversation or are 15 prompts into the 30 prompt limit in a conversation.
To start, simply click on the ‘View Prompts’ button towards the bottom right corner of the screen.
A new ‘Prompts from Copilot Lab’ menu will appear. This menu includes a series of the most commonly used pre-written prompts that you can immediately select and use. There is also a ‘See all prompts’ option in the bottom right.
*NOTE The pre-written prompts available on Microsoft Copilot are by design relatively basic in nature.
It is also possible to refine your prompt search via the dropdown ‘Task’ menu box.
Once a prompt has been selected, the prompt is simply transferred to the prompt input area.
2. Saving a prompt to reuse
Developing the perfect prompt for a required output can be quite an undertaking, with this in mind it makes complete sense that you may want to save the prompt for future use (I previously saved prompts in notebook files in a directory on my computer) but now with the new ‘View Prompts’ feature in Copilot, it is possible to save a prompt directly into Copilot and provide details (Category, Name and description) to make searching for and retrieving these prompts in the future easier than ever.
To save a prompt you have developed and want to re-use in the future, hover the mouse pointer over the prompt in question and a small menu will appear in the top-right corner, select the ‘Save prompt’ option.
After clicking the ‘Save Prompt’ option a new Save Prompt dialogue menu will appear.
Enter an intuitive title to give to your prompt to allow you to easily locate it in the future (Max 35 characters). Complete the process by clicking the ‘Save’ button.
To re-use a saved prompt
Open Copilot and press the ‘View Prompts’ button.
Press the ‘Saved’ button and select the required previously saved prompt.
Deleting a previously saved prompt
To delete a previously saved prompt, hover the mouse icon over the blue ribbon in the bottom corner of the saved prompt and click to remove. Be aware that once the ribbon is clicked, no warning message appears and the prompt is immediately and permanently deleted.
In this example screenshot, only one previously created prompt has been saved and therefore is available.
How the View Prompts feature increases educational value
The ‘View prompts‘ feature significantly enhances user experience and increases the educational value of prompt design/engineering in several ways:
- Personalisation: Staff can customise and reuse prompts to better fit their specific needs and preferences. This leads to more relevant and satisfying interactions, as the AI can be tailored to respond in ways that are most useful to the user.
- Educational Value: Viewing the prompts will help staff learn how to ask better questions and understand the AI’s capabilities and limitations. This will make their interactions more efficient and productive.
- Feedback and Improvement: The feature encourages users to provide feedback on the prompts, which can be used to refine and improve the AI’s performance over time. This creates a continuous improvement loop, enhancing the overall quality of the service.
- Enhanced Engagement: Knowing how the AI generates responses can make the interaction more engaging and interesting for staff, as they can see the logic behind the answers and feel more connected to the process.
- Understanding AI Logic: By seeing the prompts, users can learn how the AI processes information and generates responses. This insight helps users craft more effective and precise prompts, leading to better outcomes.
- Awareness of AI Capabilities: Viewing the prompts helps staff understand the strengths and limitations of the AI. This awareness can prevent unrealistic expectations and encourage users to ask questions that the AI is well-equipped to handle.
- Learning by Example: Staff can see examples of well-structured prompts, which can serve as a model for their prompt development. This can be particularly useful for those new to interacting with AI.
- Enhanced Critical Thinking: By analysing how different prompts affect the Copilots’s responses, staff (and students) can develop better critical thinking skills. They learn to evaluate the effectiveness of their questions and adjust them as needed.
- Improved Query Formulation: Staff can observe which types of prompts yield the best results. This knowledge can be applied to future interactions, making them more efficient and productive.
Conclusion
The ‘View prompts‘ feature in Copilot is a powerful tool that enhances user experience by providing transparency, personalisation, and educational value. By allowing staff and students to see and customise the prompts, Copilot empowers them to have more meaningful and productive interactions.
This feature, along with other capabilities like real-time assistance, contextual understanding, and task automation, makes Copilot an invaluable learning companion.
As AI technology continues to evolve, features like ‘View prompts‘ will play a crucial role in making these interactions more intuitive and effective. Whether looking to improve productivity, learn new skills, or simply get quick answers, Copilot and the new ‘View Prompts’ are here to help every step of the way.