As part of the College’s ongoing effort to harness the power of AI to improve productivity, the Google Gemini app (gemini.google.com) is available for the Union community. Gemini provides access to Google AI models, which will allow you to chat with the Gemini app to brainstorm ideas, answer questions, create and summarize content, get feedback and more.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the Gemini App?
The Gemini App is an AI-powered tool that can assist with various tasks, including generating text, translating languages, writing different kinds of creative content, and answering your questions in an informative way.
- How is my data protected in the Gemini App?
ITS has released Google Gemini to the campus community at this time because Google has put in place significant safeguards not available in other services. For example, all data supplied by Union employees are protected and owned by Union College and will not be used to improve AI models. This is important so that the general public who use Google Gemini will not see our work show up in answers to their prompts.
Additionally, if you’d like Google Gemini to use content in files or mail in your Union Google account to help generate a response or analyze materials, Google Gemini will be able to access materials on Mail, Drive and Docs through Google Workspace extensions.
- Can I access the advanced features of the Gemini App?
No, the version of the Gemini App available to faculty at this time does not include advanced features. This version does not provide access to the following functionality:
-Access to Gems (custom AI exports for any topic)
-Ability to upload documents for insights and analysis
-Access to Google's most capable AI models
- How do I get started?
To get started using Gemini, go to gemini.google.com. You will need to sign in using your Union College credentials if you are not already logged into our Google Workspace for Education environment.
- Who can I contact for technical support?
If you have any questions, please contact the ITS Help Desk at (518) 388-6400 or helpdesk@union.edu or visit us at helpdesk.union.edu.
Referencing Mail, Google Docs or Google Drive Files in Gemini
You can use information in your Union College Google Workspace environment as data sources for your Gemini prompts. In order to do this, you need to enable Google Workspace Extensions (see below).
Enable Google Workspace Extensions
- On the main Gemini screen, click the gear icon at the bottom left of the screen.
- Click on Extensions
- Turn the toggle on for Google Workspace
- A pop-up window will appear asking you if you want to connect to Google Workspace. Click Connect.
Once this is enabled, you can enter prompts that reference Mail, documents or drive and Gemini will search all of those spaces. If you want to limit the data source, the do the following:
- Type @ in the prompt bar
- A pop-up window will display and you can pick from Gmail, Google Docs or Google Drive
- Select the data source and then type your prompt after that.
Here are some examples:
- Find information
- What dates did Erik propose in the email about the team offsite?
- Summarize a document
- Find notes from the latest team meeting titled “Team Meeting June 2023” from my drive and summarize it to a short paragraph
- Simplify and organize information
- Find the doc from Ashley about the website clean-up project and summarize the proposal for me in 5 bullets
Ideas for Using Gemini for Productivity, Teaching and Learning, and Research
Productivity
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Draft emails, memos, and other communications.
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Summarize meeting notes or lengthy documents.
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Create outlines or first drafts of presentations.
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Brainstorm ideas for projects or initiatives.
Teaching and Learning
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Develop creative writing prompts or discussion questions.
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Generate practice quizzes or study guides.
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Create interactive learning activities, such as role-playing scenarios or simulations.
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Assist students with research by generating summaries or finding relevant sources.
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Want more ideas for adapting genAI for the classroom with specific prompts? See U. Maine's excellent resource.
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See LDDI's Teaching and Learning Resources on Generative AI for help managing GenAI in your classroom
Research
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Summarize research articles or reports.
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Generate literature reviews or annotated bibliographies.
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Brainstorm research questions or hypotheses.
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Assist with data analysis and interpretation by generating visualizations or identifying trends.
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Draft grant proposals or research papers.
Note: Always remember to review and edit any content generated by Gemini. While the app can be a valuable tool, it's important to ensure that the final product meets your standards and accurately reflects your ideas.