NameCoach for Students

Namecoach

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Overview

NameCoach is a recording tool in Canvas that provides faculty and students with a simple and effective solution to identify pronouns, phonetically pronounce names, and hear how others’ names should be pronounced. Once you update your profile, this will apply to all Canvas courses you are enrolled in.

NameCoach is currently being piloted at Penn for a period of two years from Fall 2022 through Summer 2024.

This article is for students — faculty should see the article on NameCoach for Faculty.

Accessing NameCoach

If your instructor is using NameCoach in their course, you can access NameCoach by:

  1. Logging into Canvas.
  2. Clicking on Courses, and choose a specific course.
  3. Selecting NameCoach from the course menu. If NameCoach is not listed, your instructor has not enabled it.

Recording Your Name

The first time you access NameCoach, you will be prompted to authorize NameCoach to access your account. Once you click Authorize, this will bring you to the NameCoach page for your course.

Screenshot of the Authorize screen for NameCoach. Click Authorize to allow NameCoach to access your Canvas account.

NameCoach uses your email address to provide access to the People area in Canvas and name recordings. No other information is gathered when authorizing, and it is only used to grant access to these recordings.

To record your name, click the Record Name button.

You have the option to enter your pronouns and/or the  phonetic spelling  of your name.

Record your Name using one of three ways below.

Phone

Enter your phone number and click the Submit and Call Me button. You will get an automated call from NameCoach with instructions. You will be prompted to record. Press the # sign on your phone when you are satisfied with the recording. Click Submit and Finish to save the recording in NameCoach.

Web recorder

  1. Click the Record button. You will be prompted to use your computer’s microphone.
  2. Click Allow. Follow the prompt before speaking. 
  3. Click Stop when done recording. 
  4. Click the Play button to hear the recording.
  5. You can also choose to Record Again.
  6. Click Submit and Finish to save the recording in NameCoach.

Uploader

If you have access to an audio recording tool outside of Canvas, you can upload an .mp3 or .wav file of your name recording. Click Submit and Finish to save the recording in NameCoach.

Your NameCoach recording will be available in any Canvas site that is using NameCoach. It will also be available in your Canvas Account profile.

You can re-record your name at any point by clicking the Edit your info button.

Listening to Recorded Names

You can scroll through the list of recorded names within your course. You can play name pronunciations and, for those who have it specified, view pronouns and phonetic spellings.

The mailbox icon is located under the Actions column for each student row.

Getting Help

For additional help or information, please contact your Local Support Provider or submit a request to Canvas Support.

Last Updated: 15 Feb 2023