(Online Delivery) Building Agents with Microsoft Copilot
Description
Design Philosophy
This workshop is built on a simple premise: adults learn by doing. Every design choice reflects that belief.
- Build-first: Participants create a working agent in the first 90 minutes — theory follows practice, not the other way around.
- Hands-on throughout: Every module includes a live build-along or guided exercise. No passive lecture blocks last longer than 15 minutes.
- Concept-on-demand: Theory is introduced just-in-time, right before the hands-on activity that applies it, so concepts stick immediately.
- Business-user focus: No coding, no JSON, no developer tools. Everything happens inside the Microsoft 365 Copilot interface that participants already know.
- Ecosystem awareness: Participants learn where Agent Builder fits within the broader Copilot agent family so they can make informed recommendations back at work.
Learning Objectives
|
By the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: |
- Explain what a declarative agent is and how it differs from a standard Copilot prompt.
- Create a functional declarative agent using Agent Builder in Microsoft 365 Copilot.
- Connect an agent to knowledge sources including SharePoint sites, OneDrive files, and scoped web search.
- Write effective agent instructions that shape persona, tone, guardrails, and response behavior.
- Test, iterate, and troubleshoot an agent before sharing it with colleagues.
- Share an agent with a team and understand admin governance controls.
- Identify when a scenario calls for Agent Builder vs. Copilot Studio, Copilot Mode in Edge, or Cowork/Agent Mode.
- Apply responsible AI principles to agent design, including data privacy, hallucination risk, and appropriate use boundaries.
Prerequisites
- Active Microsoft 365 Copilot license (participants must verify access before the workshop).
- Familiarity with Microsoft 365 apps (Word, Excel, Teams, SharePoint) at a general user level.
- A laptop or desktop with Microsoft Edge (latest version) — mobile devices are not supported for Agent Builder.
- Access to at least one SharePoint site or OneDrive folder with sample content (the instructor will provide a fallback sample library).
- No coding experience required.
Course Schedule
Session 1 — Foundations and Your First Agent (3 Hours)
|
Time Block |
Module |
Format |
Duration |
|
0:00–0:15 |
Welcome and Setup Check |
Facilitated discussion |
15 min |
|
0:15–0:45 |
Module 1: What Are Copilot Agents? |
Instructor-led + demo |
30 min |
|
0:45–1:30 |
Module 2: Your First Agent — Build-Along |
Hands-on lab |
45 min |
|
1:30–1:45 |
Break |
— |
15 min |
|
1:45–2:30 |
Module 3: Knowledge Sources Deep Dive |
Hands-on lab |
45 min |
|
2:30–3:00 |
Module 4: Writing Effective Instructions |
Hands-on lab + peer review |
30 min |
Session 2 — Advanced Design and the Bigger Picture (3 Hours)
|
Time Block |
Module |
Format |
Duration |
|
0:00–0:10 |
Day 1 Recap and Q&A |
Facilitated discussion |
10 min |
|
0:10–0:45 |
Module 5: Testing, Sharing, and Governance |
Hands-on lab + discussion |
35 min |
|
0:45–1:15 |
Module 6: The Copilot Agent Ecosystem |
Instructor-led tour + demo |
30 min |
|
1:15–1:30 |
Break |
— |
15 min |
|
1:30–2:00 |
Module 7: Responsible Agent Design |
Case study discussion |
30 min |
|
2:00–2:50 |
Module 8: Capstone — Agent Design Sprint |
Team exercise |
50 min |
|
2:50–3:00 |
Closing and Next Steps |
Wrap-up |
10 min |