The University of Stavanger offers several free software packages and services for students attending UiS.
For questions about logging in and technical support, the IT department can be contacted at it-hjelp@uis.no.
For questions and guidance on using Copilot, more information can be found here: Everything about exams.
How does Copilot work?
Copilot is a language model integrated with Microsoft’s search engine, Bing. The search engine is supplemented with artificial intelligence (GPT-4) from the company OpenAI, which is the same technology as the chatbot ChatGPT. Copilot uses the information you provide and combines it with information available on the open web. Copilot does not have access to information on your computer, but it can access tabs in an open browser or PDF documents that you make available
What should I consider when using Copilot?
When using Copilot, there are several things you need to keep in mind, including:
- You must be critical of the answers the language model gives you. You should expect that the language model may generate text with incorrect information, but presented in an authentic manner.
- You should assume that the references used by the language model may be incorrect.
- You must manually verify the answer provided by the language model before forwarding or using the answer in another context.
- Remember that you may not get the same answer twice – do not use the language model for tasks that require integrity.
- When using and forwarding answers, text generated by Copilot should be marked as having been solved with the help of AI.
- Do not use the language model to process personal data about yourself or others.
- Do not use the language model to handle matters concerning students or employees.
Is it safe to use Copilot?
Yes, it is. The IT department has assessed the service and concluded that it is safe to use for information classified at the internal level (yellow). The solution is not recommended for confidential or strictly confidential information. It is up to you as the user to assess the classification level of the information you enter.
Copilot vs. ChatGPT - What is the difference?
Copilot is connected to the Internet and can thus provide updated information that regular ChatGPT does not have access to. However, this is not the only difference, and there may be several instances where ChatGPT can provide better results, even though it only knows the Internet up to 2021. We will look at some of the similarities and differences between the two. Here we only consider those that are freely available to employees and students at UiS. Copilot is available in the Enterprise edition on all UiS computers, and ChatGPT is freely available to everyone in the “3.5” version.
Copilot is based on ChatGPT-4 but is provided by Microsoft and has some fundamental differences from a standard ChatGPT from OpenAI.
ChatGPT has been shown in testing to be better at creating analytical and detailed answers, while Copilot creates shorter summaries. ChatGPT also accepts longer “conversations” as it is unlimited in the number of questions/answers, while Copilot has a limitation from the supplier’s side of 30 questions per conversation and 300 conversations per day.
Copilot is also extended with the ability to analyze and generate images, which is only available in the paid version of ChatGPT (ChatGPT Plus).
Copilot is the best choice if you need updated information, as it has access to the Internet and can generate answers on news and ongoing events. Copilot also generates footnotes that link back to sources, so you can refer to the sources you have used and validate them, which the free version of ChatGPT does not do. Copilot uses ChatGPT-4, while the free version of ChatGPT still uses ChatGPT-3.5, so if you want access to the latest version for free, Copilot is the right choice.
Since Copilot also has access to the Internet, it may provide references to sources that contain incorrect information to a greater extent than ChatGPT, but since you also get source references, this can be checked and verified.
Copilot is free, but you may experience ads from time to time, which you do not get with ChatGPT. To access ChatGPT-4 via OpenAI, you need to subscribe to “ChatGPT Plus.”
Both Copilot and ChatGPT have clear privacy rules, but neither can be used for sensitive data, partly because both have functionality that allows data to be manually reviewed by the provider. Green data can be used freely in dialogue with chatbots in general, while yellow data and above should be anonymized before use in a chatbot. Copilot, as installed on UiS machines, is set up so that data does not leave UiS’s domain at Microsoft, and can therefore be considered somewhat safer, but neither is currently approved for use with sensitive data.
Useful links about Copilot
Microsoft Copilot vs ChatGPT; which one is better for students?
Microsoft Copilot vs ChatGPT: Which one is best for you?
Frequently asked questions: AI, Microsoft Copilot, and Microsoft Designer
The e-mail system at UiS is based on Office 365, and we recommend Outlook as the default e-mail program. Outlook can be run both in a browser (webmail) and as locally installed software on PC or mobile devices.
Sign in to Outlook:
- Username is [student number]@uis.no
- Password is Your Feide password
Students receive a UiS e-mail address that is valid as long as they are students at UiS. It is only to this e-mail address that you will receive messages from UiS. It is therefore very important that the student e-mail is checked regularly. Access to the email account will be closed 30 days after you are registered as completed or quit.
EndNote is a reference tool - a program for storing, registering, organizing and using literature references.
Endnote can be installed from the software library https://www6.uis.no/dist/. Sign in with your UiS username and password.
Check out the University library page for Endnote course and help.
Information about Matlab: https://foswiki.ux.uis.no/bin/view/Info/Matlab
Nettskjema is a tool for data collection through surveys and audio recordings. All UiS students have free access to Nettskjema.
Sign in to Nettskjema:
- Brukernavn er studentnummeret ditt
- Passord er ditt Feide passord
NVivo is an analysis tool used in qualitative research. NVivo is software that can be used to encode text, audio, image and video. NVivo can also be used to transcribe.
NVivo can be installed from the software library https://www6.uis.no/dist/. Sign in with your UiS username and password.
Office 365 is a collection of online apps and services that you can use to be productive with different devices from almost anywhere. All students at UiS have free access to Office 365.
Sign in to Office 365:
- Username is [student number]@uis.no
- Password is Your Feide password
You can install the desktop version of the Office apps on up to 5 private devices. See instructions here.
Microsoft support and training
When you are no longer a student at UiS, all access to Office 365 will be deactivated.
OneDrive for Business is a place where you can save, sync and share work files. With OneDrive for Business, part of Office 365, you can update and share your files from anywhere and work with others on the same Office documents at the same time. All students at UiS have free access to OneDrive.
Sign in to Onedrive for Business:
- Username is [student number]@uis.no
- Password is your Feide password
Safe Exam Browser (SEB) is a secure browser that must be installed if you are to bring your own computer for the school exam. This program blocks access to resources on your computer during exams. Information on how to download the Safe Exam Browser can be found on the Inspera assessment website.
To test the installation of a secure browser, you can go to uis.inspera.no and sign in with the FEIDE user to then complete the demo test «Demonstration with a secure browser». Enter the code uis123 to get access to the Demo test.
You can also follow Inspera video guide on How to test Safe Exam Browser to get started with SEB.
Is your browser and operating system supported?
Check here (These requirements are continuously updated). Chromebook is not supported by UiS!
SPSS Statistics is a powerful statistical software platform. SPSS Amos is a powerful structural equation modeling software.
SPSS Statistics and Amos can be installed from the software library https://www6.uis.no/dist/. Sign in with your UiS username and password. Follow the user guide (.pdf file) you will find in software library.
Microsoft Teams gives your the opportunity to interact and collaborate in groups. You can:
- chat, have video conferece & share pc screens
- share files
- work simultaneously in the same document
- plan work tasks
- arrange meetings
- easily invite with external partners
Sign in to Teams:
- Username is [student number]@uis.no
- Password is your Feide password
