UIS successfully integrated NameCoach with CU-SIS Campus Solutions for the CU Boulder campus.

CU Boulder students have access to NameCoach under their Canvas profile, where they can easily record themselves speaking their name for others to access. As of October 2021, the Buff Portal also includes a NameCoach link in the profile section. Now, those recordings are available within Campus Solutions as well.

NameCoach is a technical solution for the problem of name mispronunciation. Users record the correct pronunciation of their name, which is then stored so others can listen and learn how to say their name. Users also have the option to enter their preferred pronouns.

Kristi Wold-McCormick, assistant vice provost and university registrar, advocated for the new integration and sees NameCoach as a tool to support community and inclusion on campus.

“Whether someone has an uncommon name or just a unique pronunciation, it’s a great help,” said Wold-McCormick. “I’d love to see it become integrated even more widely so that people at any student service point have the option to click on it and listen, and, eventually, to see it used from admissions to alumni services.”

The recent Buff Portal update also makes NameCoach easily found when anyone searches on “name,” “namecoach,” or “pronunciation.” Paul O’Brian, associate director for portals and user experience, applauded the change and said, “It’s a great initiative and makes life better for students and anybody who works with them.”

Christie Ruemenapp, a UIS senior business systems analyst and the lead on the integration, says other CU campuses have expressed interest in NameCoach as well.  

Wold-McCormick encourages students, staff and faculty to follow the Name Coach instructions provided by CU Boulder OIT, saying, “We’ve put the infrastructure in place, now we want to see more people use it!”