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I'm currently majoring in computer science, and most of my daily classes revolve around coding. And while I’ve always been passionate about my major and genuinely enjoy coding, I’d be lying if I said it’s easy. It can get overwhelming at times, and learning (let alone retaining) everything taught in class isn’t always straightforward.
I rely on NotebookLM a lot for studying, but primarily for memorization-heavy courses where I need to actively learn new concepts, theories, and definitions. I’ve been using the tool since Google was testing it out as a Labs experiment, but I never considered bringing it into my coding workflow. Given that I've been pairing NotebookLM with every productivity tool I use, I figured: why not pair it with the coding IDE I use: VS Code?
NotebookLM helps me actually understand what my code is doing
And I don't need to worry too much about hallucinations
If you read the heading and are like, "why would you not understand your own code" — hear me out. When it's 4 AM, and I'm hours away from a midterm exam and I can't even remember my own name, the last thing I want to do is spend precious time trying to re-figure out what each line of code is doing. I've tried to use different AI tools like ChatGPT to help me understand certain lines of code, but there's always one major problem: AI tools like to show off their own knowledge.
Sometimes, when all I want to know is how a function works, they end up suggesting five different ways to optimize it instead. That might be helpful in another context, but in the middle of exam prep, I don’t want alternatives. This isn’t a problem with Google’s NotebookLM, though. NotebookLM is a source-grounded tool, meaning it can only reference material you upload to it via the Sources panel or share with it through the Chat panel.
It can’t browse the web to answer questions the way other AI tools can, but it is AI-powered, which means it can still interpret, summarize, and explain whatever material you feed it, including your code. For instance, when revising all the different codes I had written during my programming class, there was one I needed to go over again. So, I created a new NotebookLM notebook, copied the entry code from VS Code and pasted it as a source in my notebook, and voilà. I simply told NotebookLM to
Can you explain the code step-by-step?
And it did exactly that. It gave me a line-by-line breakdown, and explained everything from the very top. It even managed to identify which algorithm it was. You can also ask any follow-up questions you may have about the explanation, like why is this loop necessary? or what happens if I change this variable? Citations are always present next to every claim NotebookLM makes, so you don't need to worry about inventing random lines of code.
NotebookLM can also suggest areas of improvements
An actual AI tutor
In my opinion, one of the biggest benefits of AI when it comes to coding is that it can help you become a better coder. For instance, NotebookLM helped me learn an entire programming language from scratch not too long ago! In addition to helping you understand the code you’ve written, NotebookLM can also analyze it and suggest ways to improve it.
For example, when I added a linear search algorithm to my NotebookLM notebook and asked the AI tool how I could improve it, it listed six different ways. Instead of just giving me a bulleted list, the AI clearly explained the current issue and the improvement I could make.
If you’re working on code for a mobile or web-based app, NotebookLM can also suggest new features you could add. The reason I prefer using NotebookLM for this use case over another AI tool is the same as I mentioned above — its source-grounded nature keeps hallucinations to a minimum.
The cherry on top
Just to reiterate: I'm currently a college student, and when I'm coding, it's usually to prep for assignments, practice for exams, or work on small projects. That means I spend a lot of my time learning new concepts, revisiting old ones, and trying to connect everything together. And though, for some reason, I thought NotebookLM's learning capabilities wouldn't work so well when it came to my coding classes, I was mistaken.
The reason why NotebookLM is my absolute favorite AI tool when it comes to studying is because of the different learning features it offers, like podcast-style discussions called Audio Overviews, Video Overviews, Flashcards, Quizzes, Mind Maps, and more.
Though I don't personally prefer using the Audio and Video Overview features when pairing NotebookLM with VS Code, the Mind Maps feature is still a lifesaver. In this particular use case, it works best when you have multiple sources, each with different bits of code. NotebookLM can take all of them, stitch them together, and create a visual map that shows how the concepts connect.
For coding, that means I can see how different algorithms or functions relate to each other at a glance instead of digging through scattered notes. For instance, I added different algorithms to a single notebook. Two were sorting algorithms, one was a search algorithm, and one was an entirely different code focusing on string parsing.
When I wanted to revise all my code, instead of opening each file individually, I simply opened the Mind Map view in NotebookLM and instantly saw how everything was connected. The sorting algorithms were grouped together, showing their similarities and differences; the search algorithm branched off where it shared logic with some of the sorting functions, and the string parsing code appeared as a separate node.
Now, I'll admit that the Mind Map was extremely brief, and glancing at it alone wouldn't really help you learn something from scratch. But clicking any node instantly generates a full summary of that concept. This way, I could quickly review each algorithm or function in context without hunting through separate files or scattered notes. The Mind Map gave me the big-picture overview, while the full summaries provided the depth I needed to understand and revise efficiently.
NotebookLM might just be the tool missing in your coding workflow
I never thought I'd say this, but pairing NotebookLM with VS Code convinced me that it's an incredible coding tool. I've gotten into the habit of uploading whatever I code during my programming classes into my NotebookLM notebook immediately after. This way, everything stays organized in a single place, and is accessible whenever I need it.
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