Rate My Professor Emerson Pratt

Emerson Pratt is the Head of IT Support Services at the University of Otago's Information Technology Services (ITS). He holds a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) from the University of Otago and has been employed there since 1998, bringing more than 25 years of experience developing and providing ICT-based teaching and learning support and services in the tertiary sector. Progressing from Senior Manager IT Support Services, Pratt now leads a team responsible for desktop support, centrally managed lecture theatres, eConferencing services, media production, and the development of meeting and learning spaces. He and his colleagues received the University’s first Tertiary Information and Communications Technology (ICT) Excellence Award for creating an innovative system linking lecture theatres to accommodate large numbers of health sciences students.

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.