Miami Dade College boosts student pass rates by 15% with Microsoft 365 Copilot

Miami Dade College innovates with Microsoft 365 Copilot to transform education

At Miami Dade College (MDC), education goes beyond the classroom – it’s about shaping futures. With a strong commitment to student success, MDC continuously seeks innovative ways to enhance learning.

“Our mission is to prepare students for the workforce and ensure they have the skills they need to succeed,” says Dr. James Thomas, Chair of the School of Engineering and Technology at Miami Dade College.

As artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes education, MDC sees an opportunity to pioneer, embedding AI into its core strategy and driving meaningful transformation at every level. Already a heavy user of Microsoft 365 and Teams, expanding its partnership and deploying Microsoft 365 Copilot licenses among the President’s Cabinet and senior leaders, was a natural step in kickstarting its AI journey.

Reclaiming valuable time

For educators, time is essential. Copilot removes administrative burdens, enabling faculty to focus on teaching and student engagement.

“We complete tasks in minutes instead of hours,” says Dr. Thomas. “If just 15% of our more than 6,000 employees save 12 minutes a day, that’s nearly 50,000 hours a year – time reinvested in meaningful work.”

“Copilot has given us the luxury of time,” continues Antonio Delgado, Vice President of Innovation and Technology Partnerships at Miami Dade College. “It’s helping us work smarter, not harder.”

Elevating student engagement

Copilot is a 24/7 study companion, offering on-demand support and personalized guidance.

“Copilot acts as an always-available tutor, supporting coding exercises, essay structures and math problems – even at 2 AM when professors aren’t available,” reflects Dr. Ernesto Lee, Faculty Member in Artificial Intelligence and Data Analytics at Miami Dade College.

Through Microsoft Copilot Studio, MDC has enhanced student engagement, creating AI-powered assistants that help with personalized learning and study support. The impact has been especially significant in the first semester of implementation in STEM and advanced analytics courses, where the enhanced AI assistant has led to a 15 percent increase in pass rates and a 12 percent decrease in dropout rates. 

Students love the instant feedback and flexibility, making learning more accessible and engaging.

“We’re seeing a clear link between Copilot-assisted learning and student success,” says Antonio Delgado. “Students are more engaged, more confident and achieving better grades.”

Sparking creativity and making learning fun

Copilot isn’t just about automating tasks – it’s a creative assistant. 

“The key isn’t just using AI to find answers – it’s about understanding the ‘why’ behind them,” says Dr. Thomas. “Copilot explains concepts, breaks down processes and enhances learning.”

Beyond its practical benefits, Copilot is making work and learning more dynamic, interactive and engaging.

 “There’s real excitement in seeing what’s possible. Copilot isn’t doing the work for you – it’s helping you do it better,” adds Dr. Thomas.

Ensuring responsible and enthusiastic adoption

Implementing Copilot wasn’t just about innovation, it required secure, structured training to ensure faculty, staff and students could integrate AI effectively into their work.

“Of course, there was initial skepticism,” says Dr. Lee. “People hesitate to embrace change, but history shows innovation moves forward regardless. No one wants to be the best horseshoe maker in an era of cars – adaptation is key.”

MDC addressed concerns with gradual onboarding and education, building a Microsoft Teams community where faculty and staff share best practices, AI prompts and insights, keeping Copilot a continuous driver of innovation.

“We often hear, ‘We’re building the airplane as we fly it.’ Well, in this case, Microsoft already built the airplane – we’re just learning how to fly it properly,” says Dr. Thomas.

Positive feedback fuels further adoption

Once faculty and staff saw Copilot’s real-world impact, adoption took off.

“I’ve received so many ‘wow’ moments from employees when they realize just how powerful Copilot is,” says Antonio Delgado. “The moment it clicks – the moment they complete a task in seconds that used to take hours – that’s when you see the real impact.”

A survey reinforced Copilot’s success:

• 77% of users reported completing tasks faster

• 76% saw improved work quality

• 81% increased productivity

Encouraged by these results, MDC expanded its Copilot deployment by 400 licenses, prioritizing student-facing employees.

Shaping the future of education

With AI already transforming education at Miami Dade College, the institution is looking ahead – expanding its Copilot adoption, sharing its success with other colleges and pushing the boundaries of what AI can do in higher education.

“Our next step is scaling,” says Dr. Thomas. “We’ve proven success with 500 users – now we’re looking at expanding.” 

By the end of 2025, MDC aims to have Copilot embedded in most classes, ensuring that every student interacts with AI in a meaningful way.

“What Copilot can do today is incredible but imagine what it will be capable of next year,” emphasizes Dr. Thomas. “AI adoption will only accelerate, and how we embrace it will define its impact.”

Looking forward, MDC’s plans include enhancing staff-to-student response time, improving staff efficiency and boosting workforce readiness for students, with Microsoft 365 Copilot at the center of their educational tools.

 “Since implementing Copilot at MDC in 2024, the impact has been extraordinary – saving thousands of hours across the institution,” concludes Antonio Delgado. “We’re not just improving efficiency – we’re reimagining education.”