All users have the ability to indicate personal pronouns in their Canvas profiles. Pronouns in Canvas display in several locations such as Discussions, People, User Profiles, Inbox, Speedgrader, and more.
The default is “None” and users can opt-in to displaying a pronoun if they wish in their User Settings. Available pronouns include:
- Another/Not Listed
- He/Him/His
- She/Her/Hers
- They/Them/Their
Currently, personal pronouns do not sync with the SIS but pronouns used in Canvas will match with available options in Banner/Pennant in a future update.
To enable personal pronouns, visit How do I select personal pronouns in my user account?
Understanding Personal Pronouns
What are Personal Pronouns?
Pronouns are used on a regular basis to refer to people without using their name and imply one’s gender (he, she, they, etc.). Pronouns are one of the many ways we define our identities.
Why Use Personal Pronouns?
Sharing your pronouns and asking people’s pronouns is a valued practice showing respect for the people with whom you interact. You can’t always assume someone’s pronouns by their appearance or name. Referring to someone by the wrong pronoun can be damaging, making the person feel disrespected, invalidated, and/or dysphoric.
For more information, visit the LGBT Center’s guide to pronouns.
Last Updated: 20 Oct 2021
The update to pronouns isn’t listed on Canvas as this page suggests. Currently, nonbinary pronouns are listed as “They/their/theirs,” and not “they/them/theirs” as it should be. Please advise.
We appreciate you taking the time to point out this error! The non-binary pronouns in Canvas have been corrected to “They/Them/Their.”