Overview

Academic work involves many time-consuming tasks, from designing study-units and lectures, preparing teaching materials and assessments to reviewing documents, providing feedback and responding to institutional requirements.

This practical workshop explores how the university-supported AI tools Google Gemini and Gemini Notebook (formerly called NotebookLM) can support everyday academic work. Participants will also be introduced to Gems in Gemini - customised versions of Gemini that can be set up for recurring tasks and reused whenever needed.

Through demonstrations and guided examples, participants will explore how these AI tools can be used to:

• prepare and adapt teaching materials
• develop and refine assessment instructions
• support the preparation of structured and balanced feedback
• summarise and interrogate lengthy documents, policies and programme materials
• draft and refine professional correspondence and reports
• create Gems for recurring academic tasks, such as reviewing teaching materials, developing learning activities or providing feedback
• work more efficiently with their own documents and source materials using Gemini Notebook

Particular attention will be given to the difference between Gemini, Gems and Gemini Notebook, and when each tool is most useful. The workshop will also consider appropriate boundaries, data sensitivity and responsible use of GenAI in an academic context.

The emphasis throughout will be on supporting (not replacing) the expertise of the academic, and on identifying small, practical approaches that can make day-to-day work more manageable.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this workshop, the participants will be able to:

• identify academic tasks for which Gemini and Notebook can be useful
• formulate effective prompts for teaching, assessment and administrative work
• explain the difference between Gemini, Gems and Notebook and select the appropriate tool for a particular task
• create and configure a simple Gem for a recurring academic task
• use Gemini and Notebook in ways that support professional judgement and responsible academic practice

Note that:

• Participants are asked to bring their laptops.
• This workshop is suitable for academics who are new to these tools, as well as those who have experimented with them but would like a more structured and pedagogically grounded approach.