Rate My Professor Emerson Pratt

Pratt's areas of interest include the design of 21st Century teaching spaces, collaborative technologies, and eLearning technologies. Dyslexic himself, he advocates for services that are inclusive and supportive of neurodivergent people, maintaining that technology should enhance and support the teacher/student experience rather than dominate it, with the most important questions being ‘why?’ and ‘why not?’. In 2020, during New Zealand's COVID-19 Level 4 lockdown, Pratt led the IT Support Services 'get people home' campaign, using the 55 hours before lockdown to visit approximately 1,000 staff, residential colleges, and critical services, distributing over 900 pieces of equipment including 122 student laptops and 34 staff laptops. He personally delivered items late at night after 49 hours of work and oversaw remote support resolving urgent issues. His eConferencing team managed a surge in Zoom usage, with minutes used rising 2,167% to 19,439,965 in May, supporting classes of up to 400 students flawlessly. Pratt's leadership has had a significant impact on the university's IT capabilities and educational continuity.