This online AI course is designed to equip participants with practical skills to that prepare them for high-impact roles across any industry using co-pilot embedded into Microsoft products
Rather than teaching you how to program AI, this course focuses on how to use AI tools effectively to optimize your working environment.
Who Should Enroll?:
This course is ideal for business professionals and upper-year business students who want to explore how co-pilot can be integrated into their work.
Course Objectives:
- Learn how AI works
- Understand AI regulations and compliance requirements
- Learn how to integrate AI technologies into business strategies for business development, marketing, and productivity.
- Learn how to use AI to problem-solve
- Use cutting-edge co-pilot tools, platforms and software.
Course Details:
- Online five week course
- Approximately three hours of course work per week total:
- Two hours of online asynchronous instruction per week
- One hour of online meetings per week: Thursdays 6-7 pm
- Start Date Options:
- Thursday Oct 15, 2026 – Nov 29 (No classes week of Nov 5)
- Price:
- $420 for community members
- Current Trent undergraduate students qualify for a 25% discount. Please contact microcredential@trentu.ca for details.
- Trent alumni receive a 10% discount. Please contact alumni@trentu.ca for details.
Please note: only one discount code can be used per order.
Students are entitled to a T2202 when they meet the following criteria:
- The student is enrolled in a qualifying educational program in a specified educational program that provides at least 12 hours of instruction within a calendar month.
- A program is not considered a qualifying or specified educational program if the student receives, from a person with whom they deal at arm’s length, a grant, reimbursement, benefit, or allowance for that program.
- A minimum course cost of $150
Modules:
- AI Overview & Prompt Engineering
- Business Development & Market Planning
- Marketing Excellence
- AI Productivity & Automation
- AI Management & Governance
Update to what you want
Week 1: AI Overview – Introduction to Copilot and Prompting for Productivity
Week 2: Enhancing Communication with Copilot in Outlook, Teams, and Word
Week 3: Data Analysis and Decision-Making with Copilot in Excel
Week 4: Process Improvement and Workflow Automation with Copilot
Week 5: Copilot Agents and Building an AI-Enabled Workplace
Evaluation:
Online Module Quizzes: Students can take multiple attempts to evaluate their learning.
Two Assignments:
- Using AI to introduce yourself.
- Using AI to solve a problem, documenting how you did it, and its impact.
Students must score at least 75% on module quizzes and the two assignments to earn the micro-credential badge in Copilot for Workplace Productivity.
How to Register:
Prerequisites:
- 4th-year Trent students who have taken courses in Marketing, Business, Business Tools OR related work experience in Marketing and Business. Do you want to expand this
- Familiarity with Microsoft Word, Google Docs, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Canva is beneficial, but not necessary.
- Must have M365 Copilot (Premium) license for duration of course (8 weeks)
- Speak to your IT department for your rates - Microsoft 365 Copilot Plans and Pricing—AI for Business | Microsoft 365
- (Trent staff will need to get approval from their managers to upgrade their co-pilot license)
- If you are paying for an individual license - Copilot Pricing Plans for Individuals | Microsoft Copilot
Summary:
This course aims to bridge the gap between theoretical knowledge and practical application in the field of artificial intelligence. By offering this micro-credential, we seek to provide students and professionals with the skills necessary to not only thrive in any role, as all roles will require AI to be successful, but also become a strategic asset.
Watch the Video for more information on the course
Course Instructor:
Sofie Andreou M.Eng