You are here
NameCoach at Pitt
Pitt celebrates the value of diversity and inclusion as essential to advancing our teaching, research, and community engagement. As a community, we recognize that name diversity and gender identity are central to our individuality and sense of self. The first step in respecting, appreciating and connecting with others comes from valuing name diversity and curating more welcoming first impressions.
NameCoach allows you to record and share the pronunciation of your name with others. Your recorded name can then be easily shared in your email signature, on LinkedIn, and through social media. In addition, instructors can also enable NameCoach in their Canvas courses, making it easy for everyone in a class to learn each other's names.
NameCoach also gives you the option to specify your personal gender pronouns. If you choose to use this feature, your pronouns will be visible to all students and instructors in your Canvas courses.
3 Key Benefits
- It's simple to record your name and specify your personal gender pronouns using a computer, mobile device, or phone
- Make introductions easier by adding your name recording to your email signature, LinkedIn, or social media
- Instructors can enable integration with Canvas, making it easy for everyone in a class to learn each other's names and personal gender pronouns
Record Your Name
1. Visit My Pitt (my.pitt.edu), then search for and click the NameCoach task.
2. If prompted, log in to Pitt Passport with your University Computing Account username and password.
3. Your email address, first name, and last name should be pre-populated at the top of the page. Confirm that they are correct, and edit them, if needed.
- Note: You also have the option to specify your personal gender pronoun (see section below for details).
4. Near the bottom of the page, choose Web Recorder or Phone to record your name.
- Web recorder: Click the Record button and follow the prompts to record your name using your device's microphone or your headset. When you are finished, click the Play button to listen to the recording. Click Submit and Finish if you are satisfied with the recording, or click the Record button to re-record it.
- Phone: Enter your phone number and click Call Me Now. Follow the voice prompts to record your name. When you are finished, hang up and click the Submit and Finish button.
Edit Your Recording
1. Visit My Pitt (my.pitt.edu), then search for and click the NameCoach task.
2. If prompted, log in to Pitt Passport with your University Computing Account username and password.
3. Click the Edit this recording button.
Use NameCoach with Canvas
For Students
If your instructors has enabled NameCoach for your Canvas course, you can listen to others' names and record or edit your own name pronunciation.
Listen to Names
1. Log in to a course in Canvas and click NameCoach in the left-hand column.
2. Click the Recorded Names tab.
3. Under the Name Pronunciation heading, click the Play button next to the name you would like to hear.
Record or Edit Your Name
1. Log in to a course in Canvas and click NameCoach in the left-hand column.
2. If you have already recorded your name, it will display near the top of the course page. Click the Play button to listen to it. Click the Edit this recording button to re-record your name. If you have not recorded your name, you can also record it directly from this screen.
For Instructors
Enable NameCoach for Your Canvas Course
1. Log in to Canvas and access your course.
2. Click Settings and select the Navigation tab.
3. Drag NameCoach Roster from the bottom (inactive) list to the top (active) list, then click Save.
Listen to Recordings of Students in Your Course
1. Log in to Canvas and access your course.
2. Click NameCoach Roster in the left-hand navigation.
3. On the Recorded Names tab, click the Play button under the Name Pronunciation heading to listen to a recorded name.
Remind Students in Your Course to Record Their Names
1. Log in to Canvas and access your course.
2. Click NameCoach in the left-hand navigation.
3. On the Unrecorded Names tab, click the email icon and select Ask to Record.
Share Your Name
Add Your Name Recording to LinkedIn or Social Media
1. Visit My Pitt (my.pitt.edu), then search for and click the NameCoach task.
2. If prompted, log in to Pitt Passport with your University Computing Account username and password.
3. Click the Copy Link button to copy the link to your clipboard.
Note: You can also click Customize Link to personalize your link name.
4. Add your NameBadge link to Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIn.
Add Your Name Recording to Your Email Signature
1. Visit My Pitt (my.pitt.edu), then search for and click the NameCoach task.
2. If prompted, log in to Pitt Passport with your University Computing Account username and password.
3. Click the Add NameBadge to your Email Signature tab.
4. Choose which image you'd like to use in your email signature, then click the button to copy it to your clipboard.
5. Open your email client's settings, paste the image you copied into your signature file, and save your changes.
Specify Your Personal Gender Pronouns
1. Visit My Pitt (my.pitt.edu), then search for and click the NameCoach task.
2. If prompted, log in to Pitt Passport with your University Computing Account username and password.
- If you have never recorded your name before, the screen show below will display. Type your personal gender pronouns into the Personal Gender Pronoun field and click Submit at the bottom of the page.
- If you have recorded your name before, click the Edit this recording button, then enter your personal gender pronouns and click Submit.
