NotebookLM - AI Study Assistant
Notebook LM
The volume of reading materials, PDFs, lecture notes, research papers and more can feel overwhelming. You need a study tool that can keep up with your fast-paced academic life and NotebookLM is exactly that.
It's an AI-powered study assistant available via your student account in DCU Apps, designed to help you manage, understand, and revise your academic materials with ease. Unlike traditional chatbots, NotebookLM works exclusively with your uploaded documents, helping you save time, understand complex concepts and study for exams. Using it alongside your existing study methods can help you get better organised.
Key Features
- Study Guides: Produces structured guides with key terms and concepts, streamlining your revision process.
- Active Recall Tools: Automatically creates flashcards and quizzes from your readings and notes, allowing for customisation by topic, style, and difficulty. Each quiz provides explanations sourced from your materials.
- Quick Summaries: Generates concise overviews or briefing documents to speed up your study sessions.
- Mind Maps: Visualises connections between topics in your course materials, deepening your understanding and organisation.
- Audio Overviews: Converts your documents into podcast-style audio summaries and discussions, making dense material more accessible for auditory learners.
NotebookLM streamlines reading, searching, and review, freeing you to focus on deeper learning and critical thinking. Just start a notebook, upload your materials, and transform your study sessions.
Google NotebookLM is approved to interact with University internal data and you must be logged in with your @mail.dcu.ie email address to ensure you're using DCU Apps rather than the consumer-based Google service. Uploaded documents are private and are not used to train the underlying AI models or shared as the data remains private to the user. You should only upload materials for which you have a right to do so.
NotebookLM is a useful revision tool, best used once you have gone through material yourself and are looking for help in structuring your study. Please note that generative AI tools are prone to error and you should use AI tools responsibly and in line with DCU’s Position Statement on the Use of Artificial Intelligence Tools. The CHAIRS (Central Hub for Artificial Intelligence Resources for Students) course on Loop is a useful resource for all students on AI usage.