Policy Development and Impact

Mr. El-Sobky is currently withholding the role as Vice President for ICT Markets Development at the Information Technology Industry Development Agency "ITIDA", which is the implementing arm of Egyptian Ministry of Communication and Information Technology. In his capacity, El-Sobky entails the responsibility of managing all ICT related sectors with respect to markets development in said perspective. In addition to his vast experience of over 30 years in fields related to Information Technology, El-Sobky simultaneously undertakes the role as the general trustee of the Supreme Council for Cyber Security.

Concurrently El Sobky is Chairman of “Silicon Waha”, a joint stock company responsible for establishment of the nationally dispersed six new Technology Parks in Egypt, in which two of them have been inaugurated as of December 2016.

He worked as the Director of Strategic Projects at the Ministry of Investment and participated in managing a number of e-government projects implemented under the umbrella of the Ministry of State for Administrative Development "MSAD".

On the African level, he participated in the development of e-learning strategy for both Nile Basin and COMESA Countries as an Egyptian expert who participated in implementing the first e-learning master degree in the Middle East in collaboration with "Middlesex" University in UK and in establishing the Egyptian node for the Global Distance Learning Network of the World Bank (GDLN).

On the regional level, and as a member of the Arab Workforce Group preparing the WSIS 1^st. phase he participated in formulating the document "Towards a Pan Arab Information Society - A Joint Action Plan". In addition, he participated in the drafting committee of the "High Level Arab Conference" to prepare for the first phase of the WSIS which was held in Cairo in June 2003. Also, he participated in reviewing a regional document called:  "Towards Activating the Geneva Plan of Action: A Regional Vision to Promote and Develop the Information Society in the Arab Region" which was submitted in the second phase of the WSIS held in Tunis.

In 2014, he led a national workgroup of  multi-stakeholders experts (governmental, private, and NGOs) -under the umbrella of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology- to prepare the national strategic plan of ICT in Egypt. Also, he is a member of a national workgroup of multi-stakeholders experts to develop the eLearning in Egypt.

He also led a national workgroup -under the umbrella of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology- to issue "Egypt ICT Golden Book" which shows the projects undertaken by different Egyptian stakeholders in the field of "Information for Development - ICT4D" as one of Egypt's efforts in the implementation and follow-up of the WSIS two phases, Geneva and Tunis.

He also contributed in implementing the "National Contest of the e-Content" under the umbrella of "Information Technology Industry Development Agency - ITIDA" through his membership of the competition executive committee. In addition, he participated as jury in the second round of the competition in 2007 in the field of "e-learning."

Mr. El-Sobky is an author for a number of papers submitted in international, regional, and local conferences in the areas of e-Learning, e-Content e-Government and the Knowledge Society. In addition, he authored a book in Arabic language called: "A Guide for Information Technology and Systems Security".

He is a member of the "Board of Information Technology and Communication – Internet Security Workgroup", Academy of Scientific Research and Technology, Egypt.

He also participated in formulating the initial draft of “Cyber Security Law” through his membership of “Laws Formulation Committee” under the umbrella of the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

Links

http://www.itida.gov.eg/

Rafał Lew-Starowicz is a deputy director at the Ministry of National Education in Poland, coordinates the educational policy of innovation in Poland. Graduated from the Faculty of Journalism and Political Science, the University of Warsaw and a PhD (ABD) at the Institute for Media Education, Faculty
of Educational Sciences, at the University of Special Education.

As an employee of the Educational Research Institute, he participated in the evaluation of the “Digital School” Government Programme. Previously, he worked at the Office of the Ombudsman for Children, Office of the Prime Minister, the Ministry of Labour and Social Policy, the MaterCare International in Kenya, and directed the work of organizations whose task was to increase the safety of children and youth in the electronic media. He is a Polish delegateto the OECD Education Policy Committee, the European Commission Working Group on Digital Skills and Competences and the Consultative Committee of the “Safer Internet” in Poland, an expert at “Classroom 2.0” Project.
Hehas been a member of the the PIAAC and PISA Boards of Participating Countries, Pan European Game Information Council (PEGI). He is the author of several publications on the safety of children and youth on the Internet.

Head of Unit, Evidence-based Policy and Evaluation

DG Education and Culture, European Commission, Brussels

Mr. Pakulski joined the European Commission in 2009.  He is currently responsible for DG EAC's evidence gathering and analysis.  Prior to his current assignment, he managed the international affairs of the same DG.  Before moving to Brussels, he worked for 16 years at the World Bank in Washington DC where he held numerous positions in the Bank's operational complex as well as the external affairs and operational services vice-presidencies.  Prior to joining the World Bank, he worked as expert in the area of social development for the European Commission Phare programme, the Netherlands Government, the Council of Europe and other agencies.  Following his university graduation, he worked as Executive Director of a Netherlands-based international NGO network, working in the area of development education and social justice, traveling extensively through the developing world.

Mr. Pakulski holds a M.A. degree in economics from the Warsaw School of Economics and a doctorandus degree in development economics from the Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Links

http://ec.europa.eu

Paul Bacsich is the Founder and Managing Director of Matic Media Ltd, a consultancy active in online learning since 1996. In addition he consults for the SeroHE division of Sero Consulting Ltd as a Senior Associate.

He has a long-standing interest in Open Education via a large EU project (POERUP) and several EU/European Parliament studies: he is Co-Coordinator of the Open Education Working Group and an Ambassador for the global advocacy of OER and a member of the OER Advocacy Committee of ICDE. 

He is a co-founder of Multeversity, a start-up in online/blended post-secondary education which aims in due course to be an accredited university and higher vocational provider. He also has had involvement in other early-stage online providers over the last six years and has done several studies of them.

His current main publicly visible activities are in leadership in e-learning, via the Erasmus+ D-TRANSFORM project, and Open Education policy analysis across EU Member States (he expects the report will be published soon). These draw on and continue his work over 10 years work on EU open and distance education projects.

In addition to his public work he consults for a number of international, government, commercial, venture fund and university clients on market/competitor/pricing research, policy, education funding models and retention strategies. He has recently finalised a report on credit recognition and transfer for online masters' programmes, for a university client in Canada.

In 2015-16 Paul chaired the review panel for the Vision and Strategy Appraisal of the UK Open University Library, where he interviewed over 70 staff and students and carried out substantial comparative and policy research. He also chaired the E-learning review panel for Uppsala University, with three days of intensive meetings and presentations, and spent four months chairing a task force for the National Forum for Learning and Teaching in Ireland to prepare a scoping document on infrastructure issues related to online learning. He also continued work on reviewing European and Anglophone country activity in ICT in higher education for national agencies in the UK and will soon start work on another review of a department in a leading UK university.

Some of his recent thinking can be found in his UNESCO policy brief on "Alternative Models of Education Delivery" and in a paper for the "Open Education 2030" higher education workshop run by the EU. He remains very interested in "Multiversity" models (see Multeversity) and competence-based provision, based on his earlier studies on "Time and e-learning", developed from a speech given in Austria, a country with which he has increasing links.

In the university phase of his career he was a researcher at Oxford University, had many roles over 25 years at the UK Open University, and was for seven years Professor of Telematics at Sheffield Hallam University and then a Director at the UK e-University. He was also Visiting Professor at Middlesex University and Advisor to the Rector of the Arab Open University.

He has knowledge of and/or experience in higher education in many developed countries.

Links

http://www.serohe.co.uk/team/professor-paul-bacsich/

http://iite.unesco.org/pics/publications/en/files/3214709.pdf

https://independent.academia.edu/PaulBacsich

https://twitter.com/pbacsich

https://www.linkedin.com/in/bacsich/

Links

http://www.sero.co.uk/people/paul/http://www.matic-media.co.ukhttp://bacsich.typepad.com/elearning/

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