NameCoach

NameCoach is a tool that allows members of the Champlain College community to record and share the pronunciation of their names along with their gender pronouns. NameCoach is available in all Champlain College Canvas courses. 

Making an effort to learn your students’ names and pronouns can have a major impact on their experience in your classroom. Especially for students with marginalized identities, it can help dispel feelings of invisibility or not belonging (Kiang, 2004; Kohli & Solórzano, 2012; Sue, 2010). Additionally, research indicates that students’ sense of belonging directly impacts their academic performance (Walton & Cohen, 2007).

Using NameCoach is simple!  Here’s how to get started.

Video Demo

Written Instructions

Access NameCoach by visiting your Canvas profile and clicking on NameCoach. (Alternatively, you may also access the tool from the course navigation of any Canvas course, explained later in this article.) Once you record your name and indicate your pronouns, regardless of whether you do so through your profile or through a course, they will be saved across all of your courses.

1. Click on “Account,” then “NameCoach Recording Tool” in the pop-up menu.
2. In the NameCoach window, you choose your pronouns.
3. You will be prompted to choose how to record (on the web or by phone). Read below to learn more about the options:

Web Recording

1. In the Gender Pronouns field, enter your pronouns.
2. Click the “Record” button and wait for the prompt before speaking.
3. Click “End Recording” once you are finished.
4. After you submit, you are able to hear your recording and re-record if you would like.
5. When you are satisfied with your recording, click “Submit and Finish”.

Phone Recording

The phone recording option allows you to use your phone as a voice recorder, but you must still complete the other parts of the process above using your web browser.

1. Select the phone recording option.
2. Enter your phone number in the box provided, then click “Submit and Finish.”
3. NameCoach will call your phone and will prompt you with instructions. You will be able to listen to your recording and re-record if you wish.
4. After you complete the call, go back to the NameCoach page in Canvas and click “Submit and Finish” to save your recording.

Using NameCoach from a Course

1. From any course, click on “NameCoach” in the left-hand navigation. NOTE: If NameCoach isn’t enabled in your course, here’s how you can enable it.
2. On this screen, you can record or re-record your name. You can also listen to recordings from students enrolled in your course and see who has not yet recorded their name.
3. Once you record your name, it will appear in every Canvas course you are enrolled in. If you edit your recording, it will be updated throughout the system

Using NameCoach with Students

Encourage all of your students to record their names in NameCoach. Students can record their names using the same instructions as faculty. Once students record their name and indicate their pronouns once, their recording and pronouns will be available in all of their courses. Student instructions for NameCoach are available on the Champ Support wiki.

Optionally, you can also set up an assignment in Canvas where students are required to record their name to complete the assignment. This is a great option for the first week of a fall semester freshman course.

Once your students have recorded their names in NameCoach, you will see a list of their recordings from the NameCoach area of your course, described above.

You may want to check that NameCoach is available in your Canvas course left navigation so that students can access it easily from within the course. You can make it available from the Navigation tab in the course Settings.