Microsoft Copilot Academy extensibility features now generally available

We are extending the capabilities of the Microsoft Copilot Academy to provide more users with targeted resources to upskill on Microsoft 365 Copilot through structured learning. Learning administrators can now customize the Copilot Academy with content tailored to their industry or organization without creating a new academy from scratch.

Last September, we announced that this academy is available to everyone with a Microsoft 365 Copilot license. No additional registration or administrative action is required to start using Copilot Academy. Click here for a Copilot Academy feature breakdown.

While access to Copilot Academy does not require a premium license, the new Copilot Academy extensibility features require both a Copilot for Microsoft 365 license in addition to a Viva Learning paid license or Viva suite paid license.

Copilot Academy extensibility features simplify customization

While customers continue to upskill on Copilot using the out-of-the-box Copilot Academy experience, we identified an opportunity to provide a tailored academy that incorporates industry specific materials and learning paths alongside Microsoft-curated content. This approach helps customers leverage the academy to upskill Copilot knowledge in an organization or industry-specific context.

An admin can save time creating a custom Copilot Academy by duplicating the existing Copilot Academy, which can then be modified to their specifications. Accessing this new functionality is simple and doesn’t require admins to gain additional permissions or learn new systems.

Customizing the Copilot Academy

Learning admins can customize the Copilot Academy in the manage academies tab by selecting the academy and duplicating it. From there, the duplicated academy can be visually overhauled with a custom logo and background image.

Next, the admin identifies areas of the Copilot Academy that would benefit from specialized content and uploads the desired materials from SharePoint to the academy. When organizing new learning paths into sections, additional organization through subsections is now possible, providing admins greater control to create guided experiences. Existing learning paths and content can be edited just as easily, giving admins complete content curation capabilities.  

The academy can be further customized with new options to hide components of the learning academy including the featured courses carousel or the Learner Profile Card for admins preferring a streamlined appearance.

Customized Copilot Academy in action

The screen below shows an example of what is achievable with the new extensibility features for Copilot Academy. In this example, a company in the healthcare industry has created a Copilot Academy and tailored the content as well as the appearance to align with their organization’s needs. Each number correlates to new functionality that is now generally available. Click here for a detailed breakdown of Copilot Academy capabilities, including extensibility features.

A screenshot showing an example of an industry-specific Copilot Academy. The example above is a Healthcare Copilot Academy experience with key features highlighted.

Features shown in the screen shot:

1. Customized logo – this can be any image the admin uploads when the academy is being edited.
2. Custom background image – as with the logo, this can be any image the admin uploads. This feature allows admins to achieve further brand alignment of their customized Copilot Academy.
3. Tiered sections and subsections – this area displays learning paths within the academy. These can now be nested into sections, and further into subsections to provide seamless discovery and quicker learning path navigation for users.
4. Hide specific academy components – the ability for admins to hide the learner profile card or the featured content provides the option to create a sleeker academy experience.
5. Editable learning paths – admins can now edit learning paths after they have been published to adjust their metadata or content.

Looking ahead

The Viva Learning team is already working on the next set of improvements to the academy experience. We expect to make the following features generally available in calendar year 2025:

• Ability to preview courses in an academy without navigating to the learning path details page.
• Contextual search within academies will help users with discoverability of content.
• Alphabetical sorting of academies in the academy dropdown menu for a more intuitive experience.