Announcements

To view past announcements, visit the Announcement Archive. 

Namecoach To Be Discontinued As Of November 14, 2024

Effective November 14, 2024, ITS will discontinue use of the name pronunciation service Namecoach, and it will no longer be available to the Smith community as an online service or as part of Moodle.

Workday allows you to record your name and provide phonetic spelling as part of your profile. This feature will be enabled for everyone starting Tuesday, November 5. Once you enter your pronunciation details, they are available for others at Smith to access. 

Correctly pronouncing one another’s names affirms identity and builds community; therefore, we encourage all Smith students, staff, and faculty to record and share their name pronunciations in Workday. For instructions, see the Workday Help article Add/Change/View Name Pronunciation. 

FAQ

Q: What is happening to Namecoach?

A: Smith is discontinuing our contract with Namecoach in keeping with our practice of not supporting duplicative tools. This means students and staff will no longer have access to the Namecoach application or Namecoach recordings in Moodle.

Q: When is this happening?

A: The contract ends on November 14, 2024. After that, Namecoach pronunciation recordings will no longer be available.

Q: Is there somewhere else I can record my name pronunciation?

A: Yes, Workday! We have enabled new functionality that allows both audio recording and phonetic spelling to be added to your Workday profile. This allows faculty, staff, and students to record and share the correct pronunciation of their names with the rest of the Smith community. 

Q: How do I add pronunciation to my profile?

A: Visit the Workday Help article Add/Change/View Name Pronunciation for all the details. You’ll need a device with a microphone to capture the audio.

Q: Why should I add name pronunciation to my Workday profile?

A: Correctly pronouncing one another’s names affirms identity and builds community; therefore, we encourage all Smith students, staff, and faculty to record and share their name pronunciations in Workday starting on November 5. For instructions, see the Workday Help article Add/Change/View Name Pronunciation. 

Q: What happens to Namecoach recordings in Moodle?

A: The Namecoach Moodle activity will no longer be present and recordings will no longer be available after 11/14. 

Q: As a faculty member, how can I see my students’ pronunciation?

A: Audio recordings and phonetic spellings are available on students’ profiles. For more information, see this help article: View or Listen to Student Name Pronunciation.

Q: Can I still add my name pronunciation to Moodle?

A: Going forward, recordings and phonetic spelling in Workday will be the primary source of this information college-wide and will be used for formal Smith activities. There is an option available in Moodle to record audio name pronunciation as part of your profile, which instructors can view. Students are welcome to use this feature in addition to the Workday feature.

Q: What happens to my Namecoach email signature?

A: Individual Namebadges will still be active for the individuals who chose to create an email signature. 

Q: Will there be more ways to access name pronunciations in the future? 

A: We will continue to explore potential improvements and additional options for viewing and listening to pronunciations and provide any new updates in mid-January 2025, as part of our regular support for the startup of the spring semester.

Notice of Required Annual Cybersecurity Training 

On Tuesday, September 3, ITS launched this year's annual campaign requiring anyone with a Smith account to complete cybersecurity training and acknowledge the college's Acceptable Use of Computer and Electronic Resources Policy. Completing this training is essential for maintaining the security of Smith data. If you are required to take the training at this time, you will receive an email from Workday with instructions on how to access the courses in Workday Learning. You will have 60 days to complete these tasks. For more information, visit Cybersecurity Training.