Copilot drives value creation in “Digital Campus” at Muroran Institute of Technology

Implementing Microsoft 365 Copilot to realize a Digital Campus

Muroran Institute of Technology, founded in 1887, is a specialized science and engineering institution. Inheriting the manufacturing spirit of Muroran, known as the “City of Steel,” the university emphasizes practical learning and the pursuit of cutting-edge technology, engaging in education and research closely tied to the local community and society.

As an engineering university that values the application of research to real-world challenges, Muroran Institute of Technology sees digital transformation (DX) not merely as a means of improving operational efficiency, but as a foundation for creating new functions and value for the university. In line with Society 5.0, Japan’s national vision for a super-smart society, the university formulated its “Basic Policy for Digital Campus Promotion” in 2022.

Since then, the university has actively pursued initiatives to expand functionality and realize new ways of working.

“Our goal is to build a data-driven ‘Digital Campus,’” says Masatoshi Saito, Deputy Section Manager of Administration & Planning Department and a member of the Digital Campus Promotion Office, at Muroran Institute of Technology.

“To remain a university that meets the needs of the times, we must flexibly adapt to change by building a Digital Campus. Specifically, by integrating and effectively utilizing the scattered data within the university, we aim to generate new insights and enhance student services to create new value,” explains Saito.

One of the university’s most focused initiatives toward realizing the Digital Campus is the use of generative AI, particularly Microsoft 365 Copilot (hereafter, Copilot).

“From the outset of drafting our Basic Policy for Digital Campus Promotion, we envisioned leveraging AI,” says Manabu Tajima, Section Chief of Administration & Planning Department and a member of the Digital Campus Promotion Office, who works alongside Saito on the project. However, in early 2022, the university lacked the resources to build an in-house AI environment, making early implementation of AI seem difficult.

The turning point came in November 2023 with the release of Copilot. As soon as the Digital Campus Promotion Office learned about it, members started evaluating it with great interest.

Tatsuya Soma, technical staff in the Technical Department, responsible for system management at the university, and a member of the Digital Campus Promotion Office, recalls, “As we gathered information, we came to realize that generative AI will be as essential as the internet. Not just as an advantageous tool, but something you will fall behind without.”

However, there were security concerns about using generative AI on campus. Tajima reflects, “Microsoft clearly stated that input data would remain within the organization and would never be used for AI training. This assurance, along with the ‘Responsible AI’ principles of Microsoft, encouraged us to consider implementation.” 

Moreover, since Muroran Institute of Technology had already adopted Microsoft 365 A3 in 2022, it was highly appreciated that Copilot could be used seamlessly in familiar applications used daily. Accordingly, in July 2024, the university began testing Copilot for full-scale implementation. 

Testing Microsoft 365 Copilot through trial and error

To begin the implementation of Copilot, Muroran Institute of Technology selected staff members from various departments who had actively participated in previous DX initiatives and granted them licenses to encourage the use of Copilot. 

“To emphasize that this was a special project involving new technology, we held a kickoff seminar with Microsoft Japan,” says Saito. Normally, training is conducted in-house, but deliberately co-hosting the event with Microsoft helped participants recognize the importance of AI and boosted their motivation. 

During the implementation phase, the university received support from a Microsoft-Certified Partner with extensive experience in Copilot deployment, who contributed by sharing their expertise and helping to build internal communities. 

“We are truly grateful for the generous support provided to a small university like ours, especially compared to large metropolitan universities,” says Saito. The collaboration between Muroran Institute of Technology and Microsoft Japan continues now even after the full-scale rollout.

Although the pilot project got off to a smooth start, participant surveys revealed that more staff than expected felt psychological barriers to using AI. One such participant was Hikaru Mitsubayashi, a technical specialist (Dr. Eng.) of the Technical Department and a member of the Digital Campus Promotion Office.

“At first, I could not get the output I expected and did not feel comfortable using it. But after observing how other members of the Promotion Office used it and referring to use cases, I gradually became more proficient,” says Mitsubayashi.

Some participants initially tried using Copilot but stopped after not getting the results they expected.

Saito and others concluded that “those accustomed to internet searches may be confused by the nature of generative AI, which does not always provide 100% accurate answers.” As a next step, they devised a training program to make generative AI feel more approachable. 

The training involved creating a comic strip using the university’s official mascot, Muropyon. “To generate illustrations with AI, it is crucial to convey information using appropriate expressions. This program was very effective in helping participants learn prompt engineering,” says Tajima. 

Participants enjoyed the unexpected and amusing depictions of Muropyon, which helped them learn prompt basics in an engaging way and naturally transitioned to applying AI in their work.

The Promotion Office also compiled useful prompt examples and Copilot-based efficiency improvements in Microsoft Loop and shared them via Microsoft Teams. Pilot members used these resources to apply AI to their own tasks and shared their results, steadily expanding Copilot usage across the university.

Realizing the benefits of Microsoft 365 Copilot shortly after full implementation

Following the pilot phase, the university recognized the efficiency gained from using generative AI for tasks like drafting emails and summarizing meetings. As a result, it decided to expand Copilot licenses to all administrative departments, with full implementation scheduled for May 2025. 

Despite concerns about budget and security risks, Saito recalls that close communication with decision-makers enabled the university to move toward full implementation in less than a year. 

“How to embed new technology into an organization depends on trust with the executive team. As a project driver, I consistently communicated with executives to build awareness and excitement around the value and potential of AI,” says Saito. 

Soon after implementation, the university saw tangible benefits. Sota Izumi, a newly transferred staff member to the Administration & Planning Department and a member of the Digital Campus Promotion Office, independently developed a Copilot Agent to draft university announcements using Microsoft Copilot Studio.

“During events, staff had to write promotional content for our website, which took 20 to 30 minutes even for experienced writers due to the need for appealing and university-appropriate language,” explains Tajima.

With Izumi’s Copilot Agent, staff can now generate high-quality drafts in just a few minutes by entering basic information.

 Although Izumi had no prior experience with generative AI, he immediately saw the potential for automation after training and quickly brought the idea to life. “Our generation grew up with smartphones and chat tools, so we are comfortable adopting generative AI. I just tried it and it actually worked,” says Izumi. 

“Izumi embraces new tools without hesitation and quickly adapted to using Copilot in his work. We became convinced that once people get past the initial hurdle of talking to AI in natural language, anyone can experience just how useful Copilot is,” adds Tajima. 

Expanding Copilot use and developing Copilot Agents for daily operations

Not only Izumi, but now most members of the Promotion Office are actively using Copilot in their work.

“I have given Copilot an assistant-like personality and use it for research and brainstorming. It has become natural for me to check in with it, even for small everyday tasks,” says Mitsubayashi, who initially felt hesitant but now finds Copilot indispensable.

Soma also shares, “When system related inquiries come in, I need to conduct research before I can respond. But Copilot can instantly provide accurate responses when relevant error codes are entered. It has made my work significantly easier.” 

Saito adds, “Recently, I challenged myself to build a system using an unfamiliar programming language to help improve operations for our university’s open campus event. With just a few interactions with Copilot, I was able to complete the system smoothly. I see Copilot as my trusted co-pilot, always there to support me as I navigate new challenges.” 

Currently, the Promotion Office is advocating Copilot use among staff while also developing AI Agents for faculty and students. The Copilot Agent for University Announcement Drafting, mentioned earlier, will soon be released for staff. Tajima has already developed a Copilot Agent to support students through the highly structured and competitive job-hunting process.

This Copilot Agent for Job-Hunting Support automatically generates interview questions based on students’ uploaded Entry Sheets, company-specific application forms with short essay questions, as well as relevant web information. Students can practice interviews by answering out loud and refine their responses by comparing them to past data.

“Due to limited resources, the Career Support Center at Muroran Institute of Technology struggled to support students in their job search. I developed this Agent to help improve the situation,” says Tajima. During development, he assigned various student roles to multiple Copilot Chats to test whether the Agent could generate appropriate questions and repeatedly refined it based on those results. 

“To improve the Agent, I also had Copilot generate prompts for refinement, adjusted them as necessary, and repeated the process. Whenever I create something new, whether it is this Agent or another project, consulting Copilot at every step has now become normal,” explains Tajima. 

Introducing the ambassador program to promote wider adoption

While members of the Promotion Office are mastering Copilot, Saito notes that usage varies across other departments. To promote broader adoption, the university has launched a “DX Promotion Ambassador Program,” to help connect the Promotion Office with other teams across the organization. 

“With support from a Microsoft-Certified Implementation Partner, we are building a system where ambassadors share updates from us with their departments and bring back local challenges and feedback. That is the kind of role we hope they will play,” says Saito. 

Ambassadors work alongside their regular duties, but the Promotion Office strives to minimize their burden by providing information and support.

“It takes considerable energy to try new things, but I believe the experience leads to personal growth and value creation for the university. I hope our ambassadors will enjoy and approach their roles positively,” adds Saito. 

“Not only for this generative AI project, but Muroran Institute of Technology is fostering a culture that values taking on new challenges,” says Saito. For the past few years, the university has run an initiative called “GOOD ACTION Sharing,” that celebrates not only success stories but also efforts to take on new challenges even if they do not succeed. “To create new value, the most important thing is to take on challenges,” emphasizes Saito.

Continuing to foster a spirit of challenge to enhance university value

According to members of the Digital Campus Promotion Office, many Copilot-related projects are underway, including developing Agents that answer questions by referencing various campus information. Currently, Copilot licenses are limited to staff, but Copilot Chat is available to faculty and students. “We want to further develop systems that make Copilot convenient for more people,” says Saito.

“One challenge universities face is that faculty members spend significant effort on administrative tasks, leaving less time for their core work such as research and teaching. Small universities like ours also have limited resources for student services. We hope to improve these situations by leveraging Copilot,” explains Saito. 

“Imagine a world where every staff member has their own dedicated AI Agent, connected to others to solve all kinds of problems. That is the future we want to create,” says Tajima. Soma adds, “Despite technical hurdles and the need for proper guidelines, I believe it is ideal to centrally manage dispersed campus data and make it usable through AI.”

Mitsubayashi shares, “I think generative AI is still in its infancy, like the early days of computer networking. In the future, AI may proactively help us in ways we cannot yet imagine.”

Izumi emphasizes, “Without Copilot, I would not have been able to create an Agent on my own. I have many ideas and want to get better at using Copilot.”

In closing, Saito also communicated to Microsoft Japan saying, “Advanced technologies should not be limited to large metropolitan universities. When they also reach small regional universities like ours, that is when we can truly raise the level of education and research across Japan. We are deeply grateful for the opportunity and support to use advanced technologies like Copilot. It means quite a bit to us that your support continues to reflect the needs of educational institutions across the country.”

It was a valuable opportunity to be reminded of Muroran Institute of Technology ’s high aspirations and commitment to taking on new challenges. It reaffirmed our dedication to providing the best solutions and support together with our Certified Implementation Partners.