What is NotebookLM?

Google’s NotebookLM is a powerful generative artificial intelligence (genAI) tool that can create study guides, podcast-style audio overviews, video overviews, mind maps, and reports. What makes NotebookLM different than other genAI tools is you select the sources, tell it how to use them, and customize the output with your own prompts. 

How Faculty Can Benefit from Using NotebookLM

Google’s NotebookLM can be a powerful tool for faculty, supporting both teaching practice and student learning. By allowing you to upload your own course materials, it creates a personalized AI “research assistant” that helps generate summaries, explanations, and tailored examples. You can use it to:

• Create lesson plans more efficiently by leveraging AI-generated summaries and resources.
• Explain complex concepts more clearly using simplified AI-assisted summaries.
• Generate relevant examples and analogies to enhance student understanding.
• Provide personalized feedback tailored to individual student needs.
• Model responsible use of AI tools in teaching and learning contexts.

How to use NotebookLM

Georgian College does not have a license for NotebookLM, but the free version is packed full of features that can be accessed with a personal Google account. Watch the video below, The Ultimate Guide to NotebookLM – YouTube (13:26), to learn how to use this really intriguing tool.

Examples of Faculty Use

Enhancing Teaching with AI: How Faculty Can Leverage NotebookLM

This post on the Florida Gulf Coast University Digital Learning blog talks about how NotebookLM can benefit the pedagogical work of faculty, support student learning, save time, and help prepare students for an AI-enabled future. Estimated time to read: 5 minutes.

Exploring Postplagiarism with Google NotebookLM

In this blog post, Dr. Sarah Elaine Eaton of the University of Calgary discusses how she used NotebookLM to create teaching resources based on a journal article she wrote and had published in the International Journal of Educational Integrity. Dr. Eaton summarizes the NotebookLM outputs while also providing her own thoughts and opinions about the tool. Estimated time to read: 12 minutes.

Thoughts on Google NotebookLM from an Instructional Designer and Learner

Alexis Guether, an Instructional Designer at the University of Maryland Baltimore, briefly writes about her personal exploration of NotebookLM and how it could be used by both faculty and students. Estimated time to read: 5 minutes.

Examples of Student Use

Beyond Lectures and the Textbook: Google's NotebookLM as a Personalized Learning Companion

A lecturer at Northeastern University, James A. Gardner, describes how students used NotebookLM to create their own study support resources based on complex course materials. Estimated time to read: 3 minutes.

Case Study Discussion Podcast

Hemanth C. Gundavaram, Associate Dean at Northeastern University, had students generate a podcast based on collective class analysis of a case study. Estimated time to read: 3 minutes.

Encourage Student Reading with Google NotebookLM

The Center for Innovation in Teaching and Learning at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign provide tips on how NotebookLM can engage students by presenting course materials in a different way. Estimated time to read: 2 minutes.

Ready to explore AI in your teaching practice?

Ready to try NotebookLM? Go to notebookLM.google to get started!

Feel like you need further guidance before jumping in? Contact our Instructional Design Technologist team at facultyedtech@georgiancollege.ca and we’ll be happy to help.

Don't know where to start with AI? The Centre for Teaching and Learning offers workshops, resources, and 1:1 consultations to help you confidently integrate AI into your classroom.

📧 Contact us at ctl@georgiancollege.ca to get started.
🖥️ Visit our Artificial Intelligence in Teaching page and check out the articles in our Teaching with AI Showcase to learn how Georgian faculty are using AI in their courses.

Author's Note

The content in this article is up to date and relevant at the time of publishing. While we do our best to maintain our resources, the field of AI is constantly evolving at a rapid pace, so articles related to AI in higher education may become outdated more quickly than other content. If you notice any discrepancies, please feel free to flag them to the Centre for Teaching and Learning at ctl@georgiancollege.ca