Short Curriculum Vitae of Hoffmann & Reif

Sebastian Hoffmann studied Media Computer Science at the University of Applied Sciences in Furtwangen, Germany from 1992 to 1996. He specialized in Instructional Design at the University of Cincinnati / Ohio and in Psychometrics at the University of Western Australia / Perth.

From 1996 to 1997 he conceptualized and initiated one of the first eLearning providers in Germany- the Tele-Akademie - in a multidisciplinary team of engineers, pedagogues, and psychologists at the University of Furtwangen.

From 1997 to 2001 Sebastian was the Development Manager of the eLearning technology unit at a Cologne-based software consultancy company. He conceptualized and developed a state-of-the-art, Web-based knowledge building architecture, which included technologies for eLearning, collaboration and knowledge management.

Since 2001 Sebastian is a consultant at Hoffmann&Reif in a partnership with Leopold Reif; contracts with the telecommunication industry, public sector and the educational and development cooperation sector in the field of knowledge building applications, strategic eLearning consulting and organisational development.

Sebastian has been speaker at many international conferences, e.g. Online Educa, eLearning Africa, the International Council for Open and Distance Education (ICDE), Learntec, and the World Summit on the Information Society.

Countries of work and project experience: Botswana, Cuba, Egypt, El Salvador, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Kenya, Latvia, Malawi, Mexico, Mozambique, Namibia, Nigeria, Peru, Polynesia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, USA, Zambia, Zimbabwe.

Sector experience: IT and Engineering Industry, Technical Vocational and Academic Education, International Economic Cooperation, (Non) Governmental Organisations, Publishing Industry, Environmental Management, Public Health

Leopold Reif studied Political Science and Educational Sciences in Germany. He graduated in 1976 in Science of Education with a minor in Political Sciences.

Leopold has been involved in various flagship projects for the advancement of an eEurope since 1989. Since 1996 he has been helping to bridge the digital divide in developing countries. This includes the deployment of enabling applications and services as well as training and capacity building in Africa and Asia face-to-face and on the Internet.

Since 2001 Leopold has been a partner with Hoffmann&Reif and SNTL Publishing. He has been engaged in ICT projects for universities, the telecommunications industry and development cooperation agencies in Europe, Africa and Asia. He has been presenting regularly at ICT conferences in countries such as Azerbaijan, China, Ethiopia, Finland, Ghana, Germany, India, Kenya, Korea, Latvia, Nigeria, Taiwan, Thailand, and Russia. He was co-organiser of the first annual Pan-African conference on educational technologies “eLearning Africa” , and had been a Steering Committee member of the annual “Online Educa” conference.

From 1995 to 2000 he worked for Deutsche Telekom, the German national telecom operator. As a product manager he had been engaged in developing multi-media services in Germany. In 1996 he was one of the first Telekom experts to introduce eLearning in Asia through a series of conferences and projects in China, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore and Taiwan. He was engaged in the ”National Multimedia Programme (Multimedia Supercorridor)” in Malaysia, and helped with the know-how transfer from Deutsche Telekom to various Telecom Operators in Asia.

Leopold has been a consultant to various institutions such as UNESCO and ILO, as well as to planning and monitoring committees of the European Commission in Europe and Africa. From 1989 to 1995 he had been the project coordinator of the largest educational technology project in the European Commission DELTA Programme in partnership with 14 European partners producing professional real-time interactive television programs broadcasted by ARTE in Strasbourg with bundled ISDN feed-back links from distributed European corporate training centers.

Countries of work and project experience: Botswana, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Germany, India, Kenya, Latvia, Malawi, Malaysia, Namibia, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, South Africa, Tanzania, Thailand, Uganda, Vietnam, Zambia.

Sector experience: European R&D programmes on educational technologies, telecommunications industry, international economic development cooperation, technical vocational education and training, higher education, governmental organisations, large scale international capacity building event management.