Make research more accessible to students
Outline
Introduction
There is great value in sharing important research findings with our students.
Yet, synthesizing peer-reviewed articles and translating findings into actionable, classroom-ready use can be time-consuming.
What are some areas where it is particularly important for your students to understand the research related to your field of study?
Mayer’s Multimedia Learning Principles suggest that students learn more deeply from a combination of words and graphics than from words alone. Mayer emphasizes that the goal of multimedia design is to present information in multiple formats to help learners process and integrate information more effectively.
During this session we will highlight multimedia resources in NotebookLM that can help students synthesize research.
It’s critical to understand how NotebookLM differs fundamentally from a standard AI chatbot. It doesn’t draw from the open internet. Instead, all responses are strictly confined to the specific documents and resources you upload.
As you upload journal articles, educational standards, your teaching notes, YouTube videos and other documents, NotebookLM becomes an expert in your sources. You can then ask questions and generate summaries, study guides, discussion questions, course content and other resources that include citations for verification and accuracy.
We will examine two resources that are effective at synthesizing information: Mind Maps and Video Overviews.
Mind Maps visually summarize uploaded sources and identify main topics and related ideas as a branching diagram.
Video Overviews transform sources into clear, digestible content that can be more engaging for learners.
These resources offer comprehensive and engaging tools to help learners process and integrate information more effectively.
Demo
Let’s see how this works. I have three dense, open-access, peer-reviewed articles here regarding the psychology of sleep and memory consolidation. I need to synthesize this research into resources that help increase understanding for my Psychology students. Here is how we set this up step-by-step:
Step 1: First, I navigate to notebooklm.google.com and click 'New Notebook'.
Step 2: A menu pops up asking me to 'Add sources’
- Select 'File' and upload my three PDF articles directly from my computer.
Step 3: Once they process, my notebook is ready. The AI is now an expert solely on these three papers.
Now, I can use the chat interface to query the research directly.
Step 4: Navigate to the Studio panel and generate a Mind Map and Video Overview
The Video Overview feature allows you to customize the video by selecting the format, supported language, and visual style. You can also give instructions to help NotebookLM focus on what’s most important for you or your learner.
Video Overviews may take a while to generate; have this pre-loaded for live facilitation.
Step 5: Review the output.
Click through the Mind Map and watch parts of the Video Overview to analyze how information has been organized and presented.
Practice
Your task
Create a New Notebook.
Upload 2 or 3 articles or research papers that you would like NotebookLM to synthesize and present in a Mind Map or Video Overview.
Evaluate the output
If you don’t have files available you can use this notebook and click through the Mind Map and watch the Video Overview that has already been created.
In Person Peer Review (2 mins)
Turn to a partner and share the materials that NotebookLM generated.
Looking at the output options, what would resonate most with your students?
- What elements felt off-base or would require your manual adjustment before trying this in class?
Virtual Reflection (2 mins)
Review the output you just generated or reviewed.
Looking at the output options, what would resonate most with your students?
- What elements felt off-base or would require your manual adjustment before trying this in class?
Reflection
Using multimedia resources to support learning can open the door for a transformative learning experience for your students. NotebookLM removes the need for technical expertise and expensive equipment or software, and allows you to focus on ensuring your students grasp the concepts presented to them.
Reflect on the questions at the beginning of the session:
Where in your current course do you find the research in your field particularly difficult for students to understand? Where did they encounter the most difficulty? Did you identify a solution to move them into deeper understanding?
How might you use the tools in NotebookLM to address this concern?
How can you ensure that the tools support students as they process information?