Gemini Gems – One of the More Practical AI Features in VCU’s Licensed Gemini Environment
Gemini Gems are customized versions of Gemini that can be tailored for a specific role, task, or workflow. Gems are useful because they move AI beyond one-off experimentation and into repeatable practice. In VCU’s licensed Gemini environment, which is a data Category 2 tool, Gems offer a practical way to save time, improve consistency, and support recurring work across teaching, research, and operations.
VCU users can access Gemini by signing in at Gemini with their VCU eID or via the app menu in their VCU Google Workspace. Within this university-supported environment, user data is protected and not used for model training.
Once inside Gemini, Gems can be found through the “Explore Gems” area of the web app. Users select “New Gem,” give it a name, and write instructions that define what the Gem should do. The strongest Gems are specific rather than broad.
The video below features Gem creator Lisa Huang and gets into the weeds of developing powerful Gems.
General Use Cases
Gems for Teaching
Instead of creating a generic “teaching assistant,” a faculty member might build a Gem focused on revising assignment prompts for a single course. Users can test the Gem, revise the instructions, and save it for future use. A well-designed teaching Gem can stay grounded in course goals and save instructors from rewriting the same prompts over and over.
Gems for Research
For research, a Gem can help with repeated support tasks such as generating keyword lists, organizing notes, summarizing literature, or turning project meetings into action items. This can help research teams work more efficiently while keeping outputs consistent.
Gems for Organizational Tasks
For organizational work, Gems can serve as lightweight process assistants. Departments and offices can use them to draft agendas, summarize meetings, create consistent communications, or organize recurring workflows.
Sharing Gems with VCU Colleagues
Sharing a Gem with colleagues can also make Gems especially valuable for team-based work. A Share option lets you invite others as viewers or editors, just as you do with a Google Doc. Anyone with access can view the Gem’s instructions and uploaded files, and anyone with editor access can modify or delete the Gem.
Categories Google Gemini Features