In this guide, you will find instructions about Google Workspace services Gemini and NotebookLM.

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The Google Workspace for Education license comes with Gemini and NotebookLM, which provide support for content creation, analysis, and working with your materials, helping you save time and improve the quality of your work.

NB! To use Gemini and NotebookLM, you need to have an account with an active Google Workspace for Education license.

Key functionality

Google Gemini is an AI-based assistant that helps you compose, analyze, summarize, generate ideas, and answer questions.

Gemini aims to support employees in:

  • writing and editing texts;
  • creating ideas and structures;
  • simplifying and explaining complex information;
  • analyzing data and tables;
  • learning and understanding new topics.

Guide

1. Using Gemini in a chat interface

  1. Open the Gemini web application.

  2. Log in with your University of Tartu user account (firstname.lastname@ut.ee) using SSO login.
  3. A chat window will open (you can see the University of Tartu logo on the right, which helps you recognize that you are logged in with a work account).

  4. Enter a question, task, or description in natural language into the chat box. If necessary, supplement the answer with additional questions or instructions.

  5. You can also use additional functions below the chat box: by clicking on the "+" sign, you can add files to the chat; "Tools" allows you to select tools that generate images, perform in-depth research,

Some examples of how Gemini could be used:

  • ask for explanations of complex concepts in simple language;
  • ask for examples or comparisons;
  • have review questions, discussion points, or practice exercises created for teaching;
  • use Gemini to help you understand code, formulas, or logic.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Are Gemini answers always reliable?
No. Gemini can be wrong or give generalized answers. Critical evaluation and source checking are important.

Is Gemini suitable for writing academic texts?
Yes, as a tool. The ultimate responsibility for the correctness of the content and academic integrity remains with the user.

Does Gemini remember my conversations?
Yes, conversations are saved under the user profile until they are deleted.

Does Gemini train models based on the data I enter?

No, using the Gemini application with a Google Workspace for Education license is an agreement with Google that the entered data will not be used to train models.

Can Gemini be used in Estonian?
Yes, Gemini supports Estonian, although the linguistic quality of the answers may vary.

Does Gemini also work on mobile?
Yes, both in the web browser and in the application if you log in via the university's SSO.

What is Gem?

The Gem is a user-customizable artificial intelligence assistant. You can specify how Gemini behaves and what it focuses on when responding (e.g., what tone to respond in, what role to play (e.g., teaching assistant, analyst, writing assistant), or what tasks to prioritize.

Can I enter work-related information?

Only if it is not confidential and you have the rights to process this data.

NotebookLM is an artificial intelligence-based tool that helps University of Tartu employees work with their own or others' created materials (e.g. research articles, manuals, lecture materials, reports). NotebookLM answers questions and creates summaries only based on the sources added by the user. NotebookLM is also a very suitable tool for learning new topics, because it can quickly create learning materials in very different forms from one material (conversational learning by asking questions, word and concept maps, audio and video reviews, etc.).

The goal of NotebookLM is to support employees in:

  • research and development work;
  • preparing teaching work;
  • understanding and structuring voluminous documents;
  • creating analyses, summaries and drafts;
  • compiling knowledge from one or more sources.

Guide

1. Creating a notebook

  1. Open Google NotebookLM.

  2. Log in with your University of Tartu user account (firstname.lastname@ut.ee) using SSO login.
  3. Create a new notebook.

  4. Give your notebook a descriptive name (e.g., by course, project, or topic).

  5. Add sources such as:

    1. PDF files;

    2. Google Docs documents;

    3. copied texts;

    4. web pages.

2. Working with sources

After adding sources, you can:

  • ask questions about the content of documents;
  • ask for clarification of terms and paragraphs;
  • have key points or definitions highlighted;
  • compare positions presented in different sources.

NotebookLM refers to specific sources in responses that were used to form the answer.

3. Creating summaries and work-related content

Some examples of how NotebookLM could be used:

  • for preparing lectures and seminars;
  • for creating abstracts of scientific articles and reports;
  • for drafting project proposals and work plans;
  • for reviewing internal guidelines and materials.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Does NotebookLM search for information on the Internet?
No. NotebookLM only uses sources that the user has added to the notebook. If you want the artificial intelligence to search for sources on the Internet for you, it can do that.

Is NotebookLM suitable for research?
Yes, it is suitable as a supporting tool for analyzing literature and creating summaries.

Can NotebookLM be used with Estonian-language materials?
Yes, NotebookLM can process Estonian text, but the quality of the answers may vary.

Can texts created by NotebookLM be published directly?
Texts created by NotebookLM always require review and editing by the user.

What file types can be added to NotebookLM?
NotebookLM supports common formats such as PDF and Google Docs, web pages, and copied text content.

Is NotebookLM suitable for analyzing internal instructions and process descriptions?
Yes. NotebookLM is especially useful for compiling documents within an organization and creating overviews.

Does NotebookLM remember the contents of the notebook for future use?
Yes, the notebook is preserved and can be expanded with new sources and questions later.

Can several different topics be used in one notebook?
Technically yes, but for the sake of clarity, it is recommended to create a separate notebook for each topic or project.

Is NotebookLM suitable for collaboration in a team?
NotebookLM is primarily a personal tool, but summaries created with it can be shared as separate documents.

How to avoid misleading conclusions?
Add only relevant and high-quality sources to the notebook and always check your answers against the original materials.

Privacy and security

When using Gemini and NotebookLM (and other artificial intelligence solutions), the following principles must be followed:

  1. The output provided by the artificial intelligence must be viewed critically. The person must be a specialist who can assess the reliability, accuracy and relevance of the answers.
  2. The use of artificial intelligence tools must be ethical and in accordance with the principles of privacy, data protection and equal treatment and the requirements of academic honesty.
  3. Sensitive or confidential data must not be entered into the artificial intelligence (e.g. passwords, health and social data, salary data, documents intended for internal use of the institution, information about technical configurations, copyrighted works, etc.)
  4. The methods of using artificial intelligence tools must support the development of learning and work skills.

When using artificial intelligence solutions, the data protection conditions of the University of Tartu and the guidelines for the use of artificial intelligence in teaching must be followed. You can find them at the following links:

References