Specialised generative AI tools for research and academic writing are rapidly evolving and offer new ways to explore the literature, organise sources and support the writing process. This 2-hour online course provides a guided and critical introduction to two complementary tools - Gemini Notebook (ex-NotebookLM) and Consensus - designed specifically for scholarly work.

The course is intended for participants who already have basic experience with general-purpose AI tools (such as ChatGPT or Copilot) and wish to explore more specialised AI applications for research and academic writing.
 

Course Structure

• Short introduction outlining objectives, tools and critical stance
• Live demonstrations of Gemini Notebook (ex-NotebookLM) and Consensus
• Guided activities focusing on literature search, synthesis and source organisation
• Wrap-up discussion on benefits, limitations and open questions

Objectifs

By the end of the session, participants will be able to:

• Understand the specific purposes and typical use cases of Gemini Notebook (ex-NotebookLM) and Consensus.
• Use these tools to explore the scientific literature, generate summaries, compare methodologies and identify key concepts from selected articles.
• Integrate AI tools into different stages of the academic writing process (preparation, structuring, clarification), while maintaining critical judgment.
• Identify the main strengths, limitations and complementarities of specialised AI tools compared to more general AI systems.
• Develop a reflective and ethical approach to the use of AI-generated outputs in research and academic writing.

Public-cible

Enseignant·e·s et chercheur·euse·s

PhD candidates, researchers and higher education teaching staff (HES-SO /UNI-FR) interested in deepening their use of generative AI for research and academic writing. Basic familiarity with generative AI tools is recommended.

Prérequis

Basic familiarity with generative AI tools is recommended.

Responsables et intervenants

Intervenant(s)

Christina Caneva, cheffe du Service de didactique universitaire et compétences numériques de l'Université de Fribourg

Dates et lieux

Période	Lieu
14.09.2026 de 11:30 à 13:30