Start here. No prior experience required.
A small promise: nothing here will make you feel dumb. If a page does, that's a bug. Tell me and I’ll have the cats fix it.
1
Take a breath. You're not behind.
AI in higher ed feels like it's everywhere, all at once. It isn't. Most of your colleagues are figuring it out too!
2
Pick one tool. Just one.
Google Gemini, Google NotebookLM, or Copilot — any of them. If you work at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities you can get access to these platforms for free! It’s a good idea to select one workspace where you can build your comfort level and play.
3
Try a small, real task.
Refresh your old template emails. Summarize a long PDF or that powerpoint of data that you’re finding hard to grasp. Real work beats practice exercises every time.
4
Notice what feels useful.
Some of it will save you hours. Some of it will be wrong, weird, or worse than what you'd write yourself. Learning which is which is part of the job.
Ready for your first try?
Head to the Prompt Library and copy something that looks useful.