Start using Google Gemini and turn everyday work requests into usable outputs. This beginner course shows you how to prompt, refine, check, and reuse Gemini across Google apps. Throughout the course, you’ll explore:

Introduction to Gemini for Beginners

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What you'll learn
Create structured prompts, emails, documents, social posts, images, and spreadsheet summaries with Google Gemini.
Build a custom Gem, verify research sources and spreadsheet totals, and apply privacy and usage-rights checks.
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September 2026
10 assignments
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There are 10 modules in this course
How do I start using Google Gemini if I have never opened an AI assistant before? In this module you send your first prompt, improve the answer with a follow-up, attach a file, and save the conversation under a name you choose. You work in the Gemini web app and see where the same assistant appears inside Gmail, Docs and Sheets. You learn the difference between personal and Workspace accounts, what a model is in plain language, and how to fix the most common setup problems such as a missing side panel. The module uses three short screen recordings of the real interface, one explainer video and a text guide on account types and activation. It is designed for complete beginners: no technical background, no previous AI experience and no paid plan are required; a free Google account is enough. By the end you have a saved Gemini conversation that contains a refined answer and a question about an attached file, and you can open Gemini from any Google app with confidence.
What's included
5 videos1 reading1 assignment1 ungraded lab
5 videos•Total 12 minutes
- What Google Gemini Is and What It Can Do for Everyday Work•3 minutes
- Five Myths About AI Assistants•3 minutes
- Gemini Interface Tour: Chat Box, History, Model Picker and Side Panel•2 minutes
- Your First Prompt and First Follow-Up: From Vague Answer to Useful Answer•2 minutes
- Attaching a File or Image and Asking Gemini About It•2 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Gemini Account Types and How to Enable Gemini in Google Workspace•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
- Gemini Basics: Interface, Prompts and Follow-Ups•10 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 15 minutes
- Send, Refine and Save Your First Gemini Conversation•15 minutes
Why does Gemini give a great answer to one person and a useless one to another when both ask about the same thing? In this module you rewrite a one-line prompt into a structured prompt with four parts, role, task, context and format, and receive the output in exactly the shape you asked for, such as a table or a numbered list. Three existing screen recordings show each part of the formula on a real task: a detailed buyer persona built from role and context, a pitch-deck outline returned in the exact format requested, and marketing headings tightened by adding constraints. One explainer video introduces the four-part formula, and two text resources give you a before-and-after table of common prompt mistakes and a library of thirty ready-to-use prompts. The module suits anyone who can type a message into Gemini; no previous prompting experience is needed. You leave with three rewritten prompts and their formatted outputs saved in a Gemini chat, plus a prompt library you can copy into your daily work.
What's included
4 videos2 readings1 assignment1 ungraded lab
4 videos•Total 9 minutes
- Why Good Prompts Have Four Parts: Role, Task, Context, Format•2 minutes
- Creating a Detailed Buyer Persona•2 minutes
- Building a Pitch Deck Outline•2 minutes
- Writing Marketing Headings and Subheadings•2 minutes
2 readings•Total 20 minutes
- Common Prompt Mistakes and How to Fix Them•10 minutes
- Starter Prompt Library: 30 Ready-to-Use Prompts for Everyday Tasks•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
- Prompt Structure: Role, Task, Context and Format•10 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 20 minutes
- Rewrite a Weak Prompt into a Structured Prompt and Get a Formatted Output•20 minutes
How can I answer a long email thread in five minutes without sounding like a robot? In this module you produce a ready-to-send email reply: drafted from bullet points, based on a summary of a long thread, and rewritten for a specific audience and tone. You see the three email actions Gemini performs, drafting, summarizing and rewriting, and where each one lives in Gmail. Three existing screen recordings show an instant professional email, a thread summary and the same message adapted for an executive, a teammate and a client. One explainer video sets the scene and a text checklist lists what to verify before you press send: names, dates, commitments, missing attachments and confidential details. The module is for anyone who writes work emails; no Gmail add-ons or paid plan are required, and the lab provides the thread as text so no mailbox access is needed. You finish with a summary, a drafted reply and two tone variants of it, checked against the pre-send checklist.
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment1 ungraded lab
3 videos•Total 5 minutes
- Why Email Is the Best First Use Case for Gemini•3 minutes
- Quick Win: The Instant Professional Email •1 minute
- Summarizing Long Email Threads•1 minute
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Pre-Send Checklist: What to Verify in an AI-Drafted Email•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
- Emails with Gemini: Drafting, Summarizing and Tone•10 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 30 minutes
- Draft, Summarize and Re-Tone an Email Reply•30 minutes
What do I do with a page of messy notes after a meeting so that nothing gets lost? In this module you convert raw, unstructured meeting notes into a table of action items with an owner, a task and a deadline for each, plus a three-sentence summary. You learn the difference between summarizing, which compresses, and extracting, which pulls out specific fields, and how to phrase tasks so they can actually be tracked. Two existing screen recordings show an agenda generated in Google Docs before a meeting and raw notes turned into a structured action list afterwards. One explainer video introduces the owner-task-deadline triple and a text resource gives formatting standards, a copy-paste table template and a prompt that forces Gemini to use it. The module is for anyone who attends meetings and takes notes; no project-management tools or previous Gemini experience are required. You leave with a completed action-item table, a short summary and a list of tasks Gemini flagged as having no owner.
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment1 ungraded lab
3 videos•Total 6 minutes
- Why Messy Notes Are Perfect Input for Gemini•3 minutes
- Drafting Meeting Agendas in Google Docs•1 minute
- Turning Meeting Notes into Action Items •2 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Action-Item Formatting Standards and Ready-Made Templates•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
- Meeting Notes to Action Items•10 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 30 minutes
- Extract Action Items and a Summary from Raw Meeting Notes•30 minutes
How do I get Gemini to write a whole document that does not read like generic filler? In this module you produce a one-page, formatted project update with headings, a bullet list and a short status table, written and edited inside Google Docs with the Gemini side panel. You use the outline-first workflow: generate an outline, write section by section from real facts, then polish and shorten. Two existing screen recordings show a full document built from a brain dump and different people's updates reformatted into one consistent template. One explainer video explains why a single giant prompt produces weak text and a text resource provides three skeleton outlines, status update, proposal and procedure, each with a matching prompt. The module is for anyone who writes reports or updates at work; a free Google account with Docs is enough and no previous Gemini experience is needed. You leave with a finished one-page project update in Google Docs and three reusable document outlines.
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment1 ungraded lab
3 videos•Total 10 minutes
- Why to Outline Before You Generate: Long Documents with Gemini•4 minutes
- Creating Project Documentation•5 minutes
- Standardizing Team Updates •2 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Document Structure Templates: Status Update, Proposal, Procedure•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
- Documents in Google Docs with Gemini•10 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 30 minutes
- Write and Format a One-Page Project Update in Google Docs•30 minutes
How can one article become a week of social media content without writing everything from scratch? In this module you produce three ready-to-publish posts, for LinkedIn, Instagram and X or Threads, from a single source link, each with a caption, hashtags and a call to action. You learn the source-angle-platform method, how platforms differ in length and tone, and how to keep every post in the same brand voice by pasting a one-page voice sheet at the start of a chat. Three existing screen recordings show a post created from a website link, caption variants with hashtags, and one piece of content transformed into another format. One explainer video introduces repurposing and a text resource gives a fill-in brand-voice template. The module is for small-business owners, freelancers and anyone who posts for work; no marketing background or paid tools are needed. You leave with three platform-ready posts that Gemini has checked against your voice sheet.
What's included
4 videos1 reading1 assignment1 ungraded lab
4 videos•Total 10 minutes
- Why One Source Can Become Many Posts: Repurposing with Gemini•3 minutes
- Quick Win: Creating a Social Media Post from a Website Link•2 minutes
- Generating Social Media Captions•2 minutes
- Transforming Content Types•2 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Teaching Gemini Your Brand Voice: A Fill-In Template•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
- Social Media Content with Gemini•10 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 30 minutes
- Turn One Article into Three Platform-Ready Posts•30 minutes
How do I get Gemini to draw the picture I have in my head instead of something random? In this module you generate an image that matches a written brief, subject, style and composition, and then produce one refined variant with a follow-up prompt. You learn why image prompts work best as descriptions rather than commands, the subject-style-composition-lighting formula, why negative wording such as "no text" often fails, and what the invisible SynthID watermark means. Two existing screen recordings show an image prompt written and generated in the Gemini app and an image iterated with follow-up changes to style, colour and elements. One explainer video introduces the formula and a text resource covers image rights and usage: ownership, commercial use, people and brand likeness, platform policies and a short is-it-safe-to-publish checklist. The module is for anyone who needs visuals for posts, slides or documents; no design skills are required. You leave with two downloaded images, the original and the refined variant, and a usage checklist.
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment1 ungraded lab
3 videos•Total 7 minutes
- Why Image Prompts Describe Rather Than Command•3 minutes
- Visualizing Ideas with Gemini•2 minutes
- Creating an Image-to-Image Design Agent•2 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Image Rights and Usage: What You Can and Cannot Do with AI-Generated Pictures•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
- Generate an Image from a Brief and Produce a Refined Variant•10 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 30 minutes
- Generate an Image from a Brief and Produce a Refined Variant•30 minutes
Can Gemini tell me what is going on in a spreadsheet without me building formulas? In this module you turn a raw sales dataset into a cleaned table, a five-line summary of the key findings and a short written report, all inside Google Sheets with the Gemini side panel. You learn why tables need clear headers and one fact per cell before Gemini can read them, what Gemini does well in Sheets, cleaning, categorizing and summarizing, and where you must verify its numbers with a formula. Three existing screen recordings show messy data cleaned and formatted, key figures extracted from a large sheet, and a written report produced from performance data. One explainer video introduces how Gemini reads tables and a text resource gives a decision table of which spreadsheet tasks to hand to Gemini and which to keep in formulas. The module is for anyone who receives data in spreadsheets; no formula knowledge beyond SUM is assumed. You leave with a cleaned sheet, a verified total, three findings and a 150-word report.
What's included
4 videos1 reading1 assignment1 ungraded lab
4 videos•Total 8 minutes
- Why Gemini Reads Tables Differently from Text•2 minutes
- Cleaning and Formatting Marketing Data in Google Sheets•2 minutes
- Summarizing and Extracting Information from Complex Spreadsheets•2 minutes
- Writing a Summary Report from Marketing Performance Data•2 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Which Spreadsheet Tasks to Give Gemini and Which to Keep in Formulas•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
- Spreadsheet Analysis with Gemini•10 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 30 minutes
- Clean, Summarize and Report on a Sales Dataset in Google Sheets•30 minutes
How do I know whether what Gemini tells me is actually true? In this module you produce a one-page research brief that contains five facts, each with a working source link that you have opened and checked yourself. You learn what a hallucination is, how Google Search grounding and the double-check feature work, and a three-step verification routine: ask for sources, open them, confirm the claim appears. Two existing screen recordings show a research prompt returning current information with sources and several companies compared with the findings organized into a table. One explainer video explains why fluent text is not the same as true text and a text resource sets out data privacy rules: what never to paste into Gemini, how Gemini Apps Activity works, how to delete chats and how to anonymize sensitive details. The module is for students, analysts and anyone who uses AI to look things up; no research training is required. You leave with a verified research brief and a personal list of privacy rules.
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment1 ungraded lab
3 videos•Total 8 minutes
- Why Gemini Can Be Confidently Wrong: Hallucinations and Sources•3 minutes
- Identifying Current Industry Trends•2 minutes
- Competitor Research with Gemini•3 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Data Privacy Rules: What Not to Paste into Gemini•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
- Research and Fact-Checking with Gemini•10 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 30 minutes
- Build a Research Brief with Five Verified Sources•30 minutes
How do I stop pasting the same long instructions into Gemini every single day? In this module you create a custom Gem, a saved version of Gemini with its own name, written instructions and an uploaded knowledge file, and test it until it answers the way you want. You learn what a Gem is made of, when a Gem is better than a saved prompt, what it cannot do, and how to write instructions that cover purpose, audience, tone, rules and output format. Two existing screen recordings show a Gem built for team onboarding from uploaded documents and a market-research assistant Gem that returns findings in a fixed structure. One explainer video introduces the idea and a text resource gives a fill-in instruction template with examples of good and bad instruction lines. The module is for anyone who repeats the same kind of request in Gemini more than once a week; no technical skills are needed and Gems are available on the free plan. You leave with a working Gem that you have tested with three questions and corrected once, ready to reuse tomorrow.
What's included
3 videos1 reading1 assignment1 ungraded lab
3 videos•Total 8 minutes
- Why to Turn a Repeated Prompt into a Gem•2 minutes
- Creating a Custom Gem for Team Onboarding in Gemini•4 minutes
- Creating a Market Research Assistant Gem in Gemini•3 minutes
1 reading•Total 10 minutes
- Writing Gem Instructions: A Fill-In Template•10 minutes
1 assignment•Total 10 minutes
- Custom Gems in Gemini•10 minutes
1 ungraded lab•Total 30 minutes
- Create and Test a Gem with Instructions and a Knowledge File •30 minutes
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