January 2025 release notes

Learners can access the Virtual Assistant via the Checkpoint summary page and the Learner's view of their historic Checkpoints. Learners can select the 'Get help with this question' option on each of the Checkpoint answers. This will open the Virtual Assistant with the question, and the Virtual Assistant will provide detailed information/feedback to the learner. The learner can then interact with the virtual assistant as normal to expand on the responses given.

This update allows learners to receive detailed guidance on questions they've completed, offering two primary benefits:

1. Understanding correct answers: The Virtual Assistant provides explanations of correct answers, helping learners grasp the underlying concepts and reinforce their knowledge.
2. Insights into incorrect responses: When learners answer a question incorrectly, the Virtual Assistant identifies the gaps in understanding and explains why their response was incorrect, guiding them towards the correct reasoning.

This functionality enables learners to review and consolidate their understanding. It also fosters active learning by addressing misconceptions in real time. Additionally, it shortens feedback loops and reduces the volume of queries directed to tutors. This means that tutors can manage their time more efficiently while ensuring learners receive faster, more actionable insights.

Tutors will be able to see the learner's interaction with the Virtual Assistant via the existing audit history included in the Learner profile.

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• As a Finance Manager using the funding dashboard, I can now view data from the previous 5 academic years, as well as any future academic years where there are active learners in the year. Academic Year filters are available on the Headline, Funding Data and Funding Detail pages. This will allow Finance Managers to report on a more accurate forecast across the Academic Years.
• When an MIS manager is using the Destination, QAR and Accountability pages within the quality dashboard, they can now differentiate between the subscription status of learners in the measures/tables by using the new 'Subscription status' filter.
  
• When an MIS manager using the Compliance dashboard wants to differentiate between the subscription status of learners in the measures/tables, they can use the new 'Subscription status' filter.
  On the Case owner compliance page, the 'Learners by programme' chart has been updated to be more user-friendly:
  • It has been changed from a column to a row chart.
  • The programme name has been expanded to show more detail.
  • The order has been changed to 'Most learners-descending'. The order can be changed via the more options link “…”.
    
• As a Funding manager I want ensure that the aims that are connected to funding model 38 are generating the correct funding. This is now possible as the funding dashboard has been updated to calculate funding for FM38. Previously a defect meant that funding for learners under FM38 was not displayed in the dashboard.
• When an MIS Manager is using the accountability page within the Quality dashboard, they can now monitor learners who have taken another break after returning from one or more breaks. They need to use the updated Break in Learning measure that now includes learners that have gone on multiple breaks.

• The style of the “Cancel” button within the review form in the Console interface has been updated to align with accessibility and design requirements for an improved user experience.
  
  
• A section of the text was duplicated in the ILR Declaration on the Onboarding Wizard in the Console. We have now removed this duplicated text improving the clarity of the declaration. 

After gathering feedback from our early adopter customers, we are working towards our first iteration of the Aptem Enhance Marking Aid feature. This iteration will provide functionality allowing tutors to meet the specific needs of apprenticeship delivery, enhancing quality without compromising the flexibility across different assignments and standards. 

We will be upgrading the Transcripts and Meeting Notes review section to add functionality including the ability to upload transcript documents and automatically retrieve transcripts from Teams. This will benefit customers who use the Communications Connector with Teams. This will reduce administrative effort for the tutor, and increase the accuracy of what is recorded, to drive efficiency for our customers.

We are developing compliance template versioning which allows customers to add valid from and to dates into compliance templates. This will remove the need for customers to build new programmes as compliance documents are updated. 

Aptem's data retention product setting simplifies compliance with data privacy regulations and industry standards for government-funded training. Customers who do not utilise this feature can choose to manually request PII removal.

Customers can define their retention periods, enabling compliance with regulatory requirements and reduce administrative overhead. This self-service capability empowers organisations to manage PII effectively while eliminating the need for repeated manual requests and external support.