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. For students with marginalized identities especially, it can help combat feeling invisible or like they don’t belong (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 are the three steps to get started:
Access NameCoach from the course navigation of any Canvas course. Alternatively, you may also access the tool by visiting your Canvas profile and clicking on NameCoach.
- Enter your Canvas course and click on “NameCoach” (located in the course left navigation).
NOTE: If NameCoach isn’t enabled in your course left navigation, here’s how you can enable it. - Within the NameCoach window, click on “Record Name.”
- Select “Phone or Web Recorder” to record your name.
Web Recording:
- In the Gender Pronouns field, enter your pronouns.
- Click the “Record” button and wait for the prompt before speaking.
- You can stop the recording, then click “Submit and Finish”.
- After you submit, you are able to hear your recording and re-record if you would like.
Phone Recording:
- In the Gender Pronouns field, enter your pronouns.
- Enter your phone number in the box provided, then click “Submit and Finish.”
- 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.
- After you complete the call, go back to the NameCoach page in Canvas and click “Submit and Finish” to save your recording.
Encourage all of your students to record their names in NameCoach.
Students can record their names using the same instructions as faculty.
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 1st week of a Fall semester freshman course.
Once students record their name once, their recording will be available in all of their courses.
Listen to your students’ names and review their pronouns in NameCoach:
Once your students have recorded their names in NameCoach, you will see a list of their recordings. Each name will have a play button next to it so that you can hear the pronunciation.
Notice also, that you can see what students listed as their pronouns.
Remember to check that NameCoach is available in your Canvas course left navigation so that students can access it directly from there to record their names and enter their pronouns. You can easily make it available through the settings and navigation tabs within your Canvas course.