Here are some common questions and scenarios you might encounter. Select the relevant index item to see guidance related to that topic.
Upload and set up
Why is my SCORM 2004 (v1.2) package appearing blank after I upload it to Aptem?
The issue may be related to how the SCORM package was zipped, particularly if it was created on a Mac. When a SCORM package is zipped on a Mac, an extra hidden folder (e.g., _MacOSX) may be added to the zip structure. This additional folder can interfere with how the platform reads and accesses the content.
When zipping the SCORM content, please ensure the source content is immediately available in the first folder and not hidden behind further sub-folders. For illustration, consider these examples. If you have the source content under sub-folders, this needs to be resolved.
When uploaded without this extra layer, the SCORM package appears and functions as expected.
To resolve this issue:
- Unzip your SCORM package and check if there are any extra folders at the top level (e.g., _MacOSX).
- Ensure the core "Content" folder and files are directly accessible without any additional layers.
- Compress (zip) only the required content and re-upload the newly zipped file.
Alternatively, saving and zipping the file on a PC instead of a Mac tends to work as expected. You can also compare the folder structure against a successful SCORM upload to verify the correct format.
Why is the video in our uploaded SCORM asset not playing?
Please ensure that the video is embedded in the SCORM asset and not just linking to an external source (website, intranet etc).
Do digital learning plan components allow for an API connection?
Aptem's digital learning plan components do not allow for an API connection. You will have the ability to upload learning packages that have been created outside of Aptem using the SCORM tile (classic). We advise that you use SCORM 2004 1.2.
Completion and progress
I am unable to save a digital learning component without an asset attached in Console. Why is this?
This is intended behaviour and it has always been the case in Console, that an asset must be selected on creation or when editing an activity. It is not a requirement for a selection to have been made when creating the programme template to accommodate the 'just in time' approach.
Prevention of orphan records wherever possible, and confusion for the learner is the reason for this behaviour and there is no intention to change the way that this works to align with Classic behaviour.
If a mistake has been made, the activity can be removed and then synced to other learners. Where a learner has already started that activity, then it would not be in a status that we would expect it to be deleted. You can then make amendments and re-add the activity with the correct asset attached.
My learner is not able to start a component on their learning plan; the only option available to them is “pending”. Why?
If the component is digital learning, it must have one or more SCORM assets attached. Please check the component by editing it to ensure that it has one or more SCORM assets assigned.
Why is the asset in a digital learning component not changing to complete, and the progress for the component not updating, once the learner has completed the eLearning module within the asset?
Digital assets may not change to complete, if there is no specific trigger built into the SCORM asset, which sends a message to the system to signify that the module is complete. To resolve this issue, please include a feature, such as a ‘Finish button’ or a ‘Complete course’ button, at the end of the eLearning module. This will send a message to the system that the activity is finished, and will update the module to completed.
A multiple choice question-based SCORM asset displays the questions and the answers selected by the learner, but it does not indicate whether they passed or failed, nor does it show the percentage of correct answers. Why is this?
Aptem currently offers only basic information from the SCORM asset. As a result, the component is marked as complete only when the learner passes the assessment. The PDF report currently provides the question-answer information only.
Why does the course player not display Save/Finish button sometimes on SCORM asset components?
If a 'Form type' SCORM asset is displaying white/unclickable Save/Finish buttons or a 'PDF type' SCORM asset does not display the Save/Finish buttons, this means that the asset has been previously completed and so can now only be opened in read-only mode.
To complete the component in the current programme, we suggest downloading the asset reports from the previous component and attaching them manually as evidence to the new component.
The formatting of the responses provided in an assessment report, for a digital component, is inconsistent with differences in font size and type.
The formatting can be impacted when a response has been pasted into the text, from a different resource, which contains special characters that are not accepted by the PDF generator. To resolve the issue, please replace any pasted characters with a manually typed in character, or remove the character completely.
Evidence and recording
What happens to the recorded hours for a learner if a SCORM asset, originally set to collect hours, is edited to not collect the hours?
The hours are actually collected upon completion of the asset, which means that any edits made before the learner finishes the asset will be reflected when the learner completes it.
If the learner has already completed the asset, the edit will not affect their recorded hours. However, if the asset has not been completed, it will reflect the last edit made on the asset.
Why has evidence not been generated when a digital learning component has been completed?
If evidence for a component is not being generated upon completion it may be because the same asset has been completed in the current programme on a different component or a previous programme and the evidence has been generated there.
Please note the same asset can be added to multiple components but will only complete and generate evidence once.
To complete the component in the current programme we would suggest downloading the asset reports from the previous component and attaching them manually as evidence to the new component.
You may need to change the 'Completion mode' for the component to Tutor decides if it still does not complete after attaching the evidence manually.
I see duplicate evidence created for digital learning and the component is not completing. Why?
Once the assessment report is referred, the asset goes back to the learner to complete again and there is no way to return it back to a complete state without the learner resubmitting it (even if the assessment report is reassessed and accepted any number of times).
If you see more than one piece of evidence for the same asset in the component, then this could have happened because the assessment report was referred multiple times and then accepted.
Please be advised that the component will complete only after all the assets have been completed and evidence accepted.
The SCORM asset is pulling answers from previously completed components, why is this?
The way that SCORM assets currently work is that if the asset is linked to a component, there is only one instance of that learning content. Learners that complete that instance will have their answers pulled through to any component that is also linked to that specific asset.
The correct procedure would be to create a new instance of this asset manually, and then link each individual component to a separate 'cloned' instance of the asset. To avoid confusion, please ensure each 'cloned' SCORM asset has a different name or unique identifier.
How does time spent work on the assets?
There is a timer running when the learner is completing the asset. Once they select Finish, the time spent is calculated based on this.
What happens if we attach hours to the component? Would these hours be automatically counted once they have completed the asset?
A digital learning component is designed just for recording the time spent working on assets. If you wish to record other hours, we recommend that you do this as part of a separate component with the relevant evidence.
If set to ‘generate evidence’ when uploading the asset, what does this mean when it’s in the component?
This means that an asset report will be generated as evidence once the asset is completed.
How does it work in terms of the ‘taken place during working hours’ declaration?
The OTJ Hours Type defaults to “This work was completed during paid working hours.” This can be changed by the learner or tutor after the asset has been completed if required.
If a SCORM asset is deleted, will completed asset report evidence remain available for a linked digital component?
Yes. Deleting a SCORM asset does not affect any digital components linked to it, regardless of the component's status. This includes components with a status of Not started or In progress.
Any asset report evidence that was generated before the asset was deleted will remain accessible within the learner's learning plan.