Is learning my students' names important in college?

Dear Aggie,

I was talking to a friend who is an elementary school teacher, and he said it is really important that I learn my students' names. I have over 100 students in my class- there is no way I can learn all their names! Is learning students' names really that important for college students?

~Too Many Names

Dear Too Many,

Yes, it turns out that using student names and correct pronouns is really important to build a welcoming and inclusive classroom environment. When you (correctly) use names and pronouns, students not only feel more welcome, but are more comfortable seeking help, and express higher levels of satisfaction with a course. And when we fail to use or properly pronounce students' preferred names, or misgender them by using incorrect pronouns, we risk alienating our students. But don't get discouraged, there are some useful strategies and interesting research to help you.

How important is it to students that you know their name?

In a study of a large enrollment (185 students) upper division biology course, ~85% of students said that it was important that their instructor knows their name and identified nine reasons that having their name known is important to them (Cooper et al., 2017). These include making the student feel more valued, feeling that their instructor cares and feeling that they do better in the course.

Do you really need to learn and use all their names?

Perhaps surprisingly, no, you don't need to learn and use all their names in order for students to perceive that you know their names. In the same Cooper et al. study, 78% of students perceived that their instructor knew their name, when in fact, the instructor only knew 53% of the names. By using names that you do know, and/or by using name tents (see below), you can call on students by name without actually knowing all their names. Additionally, Tanner (2013) suggests that if students know that you are trying to learn names, you are sending a valuable message about how you value students, and that message may be at least as important as actually learning all your students' names.

How can you begin to learn student names?

• In the Cooper et al. study noted above, instructors had all students make name tents to place on their desk in front of them. That way the instructor could call on a student by name, even if they had not memorized the names. You could also invite students to include their pronouns on the name tent.
• Name tents can also help students learn one another's names.
• You can also encourage students to create a Canvas profile photo, then study the photos and names on the People tab in your Canvas course.
• Canvas will reflect any first name changes that a student makes in Banner. But sometimes a student prefers to use a nickname, without updating their formal name in Banner. In that case, you can use the Notes column in the Canvas gradebook to make a note of their nickname. See the September 15, 2022 Dear Aggie post on using the Notes column: https://teaching.nmsu.edu/dearaggie/2022/09/grade-book-notes.html
• You can also use the Notes column to make a note of name pronunciation and pronouns (as pronouns are not currently available in Canvas)
• When students visit you in office hours, ask them their name and pronouns, and use them during the meeting.
• Invite students to share their name and pronouns when they are asking or answering a question in class (if they are comfortable doing so).
• See the links to resources below for more ideas.
• I'll look forward to hearing from our colleagues about their strategies to learn  and use student names. Reach out at dearaggie@nmsu.edu

I hope that you will be able to use some of these ideas to start using your students' names right away. I know that your students will appreciate your effort! And if you do make a mistake with a name or pronoun, apologize, and let them know that you are genuinely trying – and then keep trying.

Have a great semester!

~Aggie

Resources:

Cooper, Haney, Krieg and Brownell (2017). What's in a Name? The Importance of Students Perceiving That an Instructor Knows Their Names in a High-Enrollment Biology Classroom. CBE-Life Sciences Education. https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.16-08-0265

Tanner (2013). Structure Matters: Twenty-One Teaching Strategies to Promote Student Engagement and Cultivate Classroom Equity. CBE-Life Sciences Education.  https://doi.org/10.1187/cbe.13-06-0115

Yale Poorvu Center for Teaching and Learning

https://poorvucenter.yale.edu/LearningStudentNames

The Ohio State University Teaching and Learning Resource Center

https://teaching.resources.osu.edu/examples/tips-learning-student-names

Notes column in the Canvas gradebook:

https://teaching.nmsu.edu/dearaggie/2022/09/grade-book-notes.html