This webinar shares a closer look at the activity log in Aptem Apprentice that gives apprentices one place to record their off-the-job training (OTJT) as it happens and gives tutors a dedicated workflow to verify each entry. Every entry links to a learning plan component, is accepted or rejected by a tutor, and is held as a read-only record ready for audit. In the webinar, the University of Hertfordshire and Tyne Coast College explain how moving from month-end spreadsheets to the activity log changed their workload, learner engagement and audit records.

Watch the full recording below to see the activity log demonstrated and hear from both providers, or read on for a summary of what they shared and answers to the questions asked during the session.

Watch the webinar

Summary

Addressing the challenge of tracking off-the-job training hours

Many providers collect off-the-job training hours in spreadsheets or timesheets that learners upload once a month. Tutors have no view of progress until the month ends, then a large batch of entries to check at once. Records kept outside the platform are hard to verify, learners often record the submission date rather than the date of the activity, and totals can be miscalculated when they are copied across. If one entry is wrong, the whole spreadsheet goes back to the learner.

How Aptem addresses the challenge

How learners log off-the-job training in the activity log

Learners record each activity in the activity log, either from its own page or from a button on the learning plan component they are working on, which returns them to the learning plan afterwards. Each entry records the activity type, whether it took place in paid working hours or the learner's own time, a description of up to 1,000 characters, the date, the time spent and the linked component. If the provider switches file uploads on, learners can attach one supporting file of up to 10MB. Aptem adds up the hours, so there is no manual calculation.

Time from completed eLearning and verified placement hours appears in the log as a draft. The learner confirms when it took place, because only they know whether it was during working hours, and then it goes to their tutor for review. Learners can log from a phone browser, which the University of Hertfordshire uses to encourage learners to log as soon as they finish an activity.

How tutors verify activity log entries

Tutors work through new and resubmitted entries in a review wizard that groups activity by learner and date and saves their progress. Entries are read-only: a tutor can accept an entry or reject it with a reason, but cannot change what the learner wrote. The learner is notified, corrects the entry and resubmits it. Staff with the activity log QA role can reject or delete an entry that was accepted by mistake, which supports internal quality assurance.

Because entries arrive through the month, the review workload is spread out, and learners can correct an entry before the month ends.

How the activity log flags learners who have stopped logging

The tutor's landing page lists every learner on their caseload who has not had an activity accepted in the last 28 days, with contact details for the learner and their employer or manager. Tutors can follow up before a gap in off-the-job training builds up over a whole month.

How the activity log supports audit

Tutors can download a CSV of everything a learner has logged, and activity log data is available for reporting through OData. The hours log compliance document brings it together in one place: programme and employer details, apprenticeship and ILR dates, planned hours from the ILR and the learning plan, and verified hours, separated into off-the-job training and English and maths and listed by component. Each version is saved as a date-stamped PDF for the learner, tutor and employer to sign.

The activity log records and verifies off-the-job training. It does not change what the apprenticeship funding rules require.

How providers rolled out the activity log

Both providers recommend setting clear expectations about what to write and encouraging learners to log little and often. The University of Hertfordshire started with new learners, explained what counts as off-the-job training, and gave them sentence starters and short how-to videos. Tyne Coast College started with a small group of existing learners. Some were reluctant to change at first, but most found it quicker once they started.

Find set-up guides and how-to articles in the activity log section of the Aptem Help Centre.

Q&A

Moving to activity log

Does activity log replace logging off-the-job training (OTJT) hours when learners submit work or upload a file on a learning plan component?

Yes, on programmes where activity log is turned on. Learners still submit their work on the component as usual, then log the time separately in activity log and link the entry to that component. Hours are no longer added as part of the upload, so all off-the-job training hours are reviewed in one place.

Learners can also attach one supporting file of up to 10MB to an activity log entry, if your organisation has switched file uploads on. We're also adding a setting so administrators can make the file required, for programmes where the evidence is a document.

When does this change happen, and does it affect all programmes or only those where activity log is turned on?

There isn't a single date. Activity log is enabled programme by programme, and the change applies from the point it's turned on for a programme. Programmes that aren't using activity log keep working as they do now, including the completed hours section on learning plan components.

When a programme is enabled, files already uploaded stay on the learning plan, and the hours logged against them are copied into activity log.

Can learners who are part-way through their programme move to activity log?

Yes. Because activity log is enabled programme by programme, you can switch it on for a programme with learners already part-way through. Time they've already logged against evidence is copied into activity log: accepted hours stay accepted, hours waiting to be marked appear as submitted, and referred-back hours appear as rejected, with the assessor's comment as the reason. Their evidence stays on the learning plan.

The change is one-way for each programme, so we recommend starting with a straightforward programme and letting tutors and learners know beforehand where time will be recorded.

Will activity log become compulsory for all customers?

At the moment it's enabled programme by programme, so you can move over at a pace that suits you. Activity log is designed to become the single place for off-the-job hours in Aptem, and new tenants now start with it switched on for all programmes. We don't have a date for moving every existing customer over, and we'd give plenty of notice before anything like that.

How is this different from hours being logged automatically when learners submit work, and how are long activities handled?

Before activity log, the hours were recorded as part of submitting work on a learning plan component. With activity log, learners still submit their work on the learning plan as usual, but record the time as a separate entry linked to that component. They can do both from the learning plan, so the process should still feel familiar. The difference is that all off-the-job training hours are then logged, reviewed and verified in one place, whatever their source, which gives a consistent record for audit.

Some time is still added for the learner, for example from SCORM assets, meetings scheduled through Aptem using the Teams connector, and placements and workshops. It appears in their activity log as a draft for them to confirm, as described under 'Is any time added to activity log automatically?' below.

For long activities, administrators set a daily time limit in tenant settings. The default is 12 hours. If you want learners to cover more than one day in a single entry, such as a weekly log, you can raise the limit as high as 9,999 hours. We recommend daily entries, as they give auditors a clearer record of when the training happened. When programme-level settings arrive, you'll be able to set a different limit for each programme.

Logging an activity

Can learners choose which learning plan component they log time against, and what if an activity doesn't fit one component?

Yes. When learners log an activity, they choose the learning plan component from a type-ahead list. For off-the-job training and English or maths, the list shows only components with relevant planned hours, ordered by the complete-by date closest to the activity date. For the 'Other' activity type, the list isn't filtered. Some component types, such as qualifications and reviews, can't take logged time.

Off-the-job training should be planned, so the structure of the programme should give each activity a clear component to log against. If learners often find an activity doesn't fit one component, it's worth reviewing the learning plan design so that each component covers a distinct activity. Your CSM can help with this.

Can we change the wording on the form, or guide learners on how much detail to add?

Not at the moment. Letting providers customise the field labels on the activity log form is something we're considering, so you could change 'Describe the activity' to wording that tells learners what detail you expect.

We're also working on an AI check that reviews a learner's entry and helps them improve it before they submit. This will be an Aptem Enhance feature, and we expect it to be on the Enterprise tier. We don't have dates for either yet.

What are the character limits on entries and feedback?

The learner's activity description takes up to 1,000 characters. The feedback a tutor adds when rejecting an entry takes up to 500 characters. It's designed to be a concise reason the learner can act on, such as 'please add more detail about what you did' or 'this doesn't show how you covered the KSB', rather than full assessment feedback, which stays on the learning plan.

Is any time added to activity log automatically?

For some activity, yes. When a learner completes a SCORM asset, attends a meeting scheduled through Aptem using the Teams connector, or has their time on a placement or workshop verified, the time appears in their activity log as a draft. The learner completes it, confirming when it took place, and then it comes to their tutor for review as normal. Draft time doesn't count towards off-the-job hours until it's been completed and accepted. For other learning plan activity, the learner logs the time themselves.

Why do automatically added entries wait as drafts for the learner, rather than being confirmed by our team?

When time is added automatically, Aptem can't tell whether it took place during the learner's working hours or in their own time, and only the learner can confirm that. So the entry waits as a draft until they complete it, then comes to the tutor to review. There isn't a way to bypass that step today. Improvements to how automatically added time works are on our list to revisit.

Do learners need to log classroom and workshop time, even when attendance is already recorded?

It depends on how the session is set up in Aptem.

If it's a placement or workshop, the time comes through to the learner's activity log automatically as a draft. The learner completes it, confirming when it took place and whether it was in their working hours or their own time, which only they can confirm. It then comes to their tutor for review.

Other classroom or training time that's part of the learner's planned off-the-job training is logged by the learner as an activity like any other. The trainer's register shows the learner attended, while the activity log entry is the learner's own record of the time.

Making scheduled sessions easier to capture is something we want to revisit. We don't have anything to announce on it yet.

Can the hours learners log be capped, or restricted to certain days?

Yes, hours can be capped. Activity log has a daily time limit that your administrators can set in tenant settings, so learners can't log more than a set number of hours for a single day. The default is 12 hours, and you can change it to suit your programmes. Entries still need tutor approval before they count, and any bulk entry can be rejected with a reason.

We're also adding programme-level settings, so you'll be able to set a different daily limit, and the other activity log options, for each programme. We expect this to be on the Pro tier.

There isn't currently a setting to block entries on particular days, such as weekends. Learners can't log activity for future dates.

Can entries show start and finish times rather than just a duration?

Yes, this is coming. Administrators will be able to choose whether learners record the time spent on an activity, as now, or a start and finish time. With start and finish times, learners also enter any breaks, and the time spent is worked out for them, so an entry shows 09:15 to 12:15 rather than just 3 hours. The daily time limit applies to the time spent.

Start and finish times are for activities within a single day. An activity that runs past midnight is logged as two entries, one up to midnight and one from midnight. We don't have a release date to share yet.

KSBs and criteria 

Can activity log entries be linked to KSBs or assessment criteria?

Not at the moment. Activity log entries link to learning plan components, so KSB coverage comes through the KSBs mapped to those components. Evidence already on the learning plan stays where it is.

Where are KSBs recorded?

An activity log entry picks up its KSB coverage from the KSBs mapped to the learning plan component it's linked to, so KSB mapping and any criteria marking stay on the learning plan component and its evidence.

The AI check we're working on will look at whether an entry covers the KSBs mapped to its component. Learners get the most from it when their description shows how the activity covers those KSBs, either by naming them or by quoting their codes. This will be an Aptem Enhance feature, and we expect it to be on the Enterprise tier.

Planned hours and completing components

Does accepting hours in activity log complete the learning plan component?

Not yet, but we're working on it now. Administrators will be able to turn on an option so that when a tutor accepts an activity that brings a component up to its planned hours, they're asked whether to mark the component as complete. This applies to components set to 'Tutor decides' where any required evidence is already in place. We don't have a release date to share yet.

Can learners and tutors see planned and logged hours for each component?

Tutors already see the planned hours for the linked component when they review an entry in the review wizard, and when they open an individual entry. For learners, this is coming soon: each learning plan component with planned hours will show the planned hours, the hours accepted and the hours waiting for review. The same figures will appear beside the component when a learner chooses it on the Log activity form.

Once that's in place for learners, we'll look at showing the same accepted and pending figures to tutors when they review entries.

What should we do if accepted hours aren't showing against a learning plan component?

Accepted hours should count towards the learner's progress, and each entry is linked to its component in activity log. If you see approved hours not appearing against a component, please share an example with Support or your CSM, so we can confirm whether that's expected right now or something we need to fix.

Reviewing and verifying entries 

Can tutors change the hours a learner has entered?

No. The activity log is the learner's own record of their off-the-job training, and only the learner can change an entry. This matters at audit: customers have told us auditors have asked whether provider staff can edit the log, and the answer being no is what lets the log stand as a true record.

If the hours are wrong, the tutor rejects the entry with a reason, for example 'please change this to 2 hours'. The learner corrects it and resubmits, and it comes back into the tutor's review queue with their feedback shown, so they can check it's been fixed. If an entry has already been accepted by mistake, an administrator with the activity log QA role can set it back to rejected or delete it.

How do tutors know when there's something to review, including corrected entries?

Tutors get a notification when a learner submits or resubmits an entry. The Activities to review panel on the activity log landing page shows how many entries are waiting, with a Start button to open the review wizard. When a learner corrects and resubmits a rejected entry, it shows as 'Resubmitted' and is included in the review wizard, with the original rejection reason alongside it so the tutor can check it's been addressed.

Can tutors add feedback when accepting an entry?

No, this isn't planned at the moment, though we've noted the request. Feedback is required when a tutor rejects an entry, so the learner knows what to change.

The AI check we're working on is intended to give learners feedback as they write an entry, including positive feedback, in line with your organisation's guidance. This will be an Aptem Enhance feature, and we expect it to be on the Enterprise tier. The details may change as we build it.

Can a tutor log activity on a learner's behalf, for example for learners who need additional support?

Activity log is designed to be learner-led. The learner records their own off-the-job time, and the tutor reviews it and accepts or rejects each entry. Only the learner can confirm when and how the activity happened, which matters for off-the-job evidence. If a learner isn't logging, the tutor's landing page flags anyone with no accepted activity in the last 28 days, with their contact details, so tutors can follow up.

Logging on a learner's behalf would need more than edit rights. It would need its own role and permissions, and every entry made this way would need to be clearly marked as entered on the learner's behalf, so the record stays accurate. It isn't something we're working on at the moment.

If you have learners whose support needs make it difficult for them to log their own entries, please contact your CSM, who can work through the options with you.

How can compliance, QA and IQA staff review activity across programmes?

The activity log review experience is currently built around the tutor's caseload: the landing page and review wizard show activity for learners where you're the case owner. For reporting across programmes, compliance teams can use the 'All learners' option on the filters. We know some providers verify hours centrally, and we're looking at giving staff wider access based on their group permissions. As we add AI to activity log, wider oversight by administrators becomes more important, so this is a big part of that work.

Activity log also has a QA role that administrators assign to staff separately. Staff with the role can set an entry a tutor has already accepted back to rejected, or delete it, adding a reason. This supports IQA sampling and correcting entries that shouldn't count as off-the-job training. Your CSM can help you set it up.

The 28-day panel and caseload oversight 

Which learners appear in the 'No activities logged in 28 days' panel, and can learners in EPA or archived learners be filtered out?

The panel lists every learner on your caseload who hasn't had an activity accepted on their current programme in the last 28 days. Activity on a previous programme isn't counted, and a learner who fell behind on a previous programme won't appear. Learners who've passed Gateway and are in end-point assessment can appear even though you wouldn't expect them to log anything. There isn't a filter to exclude particular groups of learners at the moment. You can search and sort the list, but not filter by stage. We're looking at improving that panel.

Why might the 28-day panel be empty?

The panel is a list of who to follow up, not a record of recent activity. It only looks at each learner's current programme and only covers learners where you're the case owner. If every learner on your caseload has had activity accepted on their current programme in the last 28 days, the panel will be empty. To see recent activity, open the learner from the learners table and view their activity history.

Are learners sent a reminder when they haven't logged activity for 28 days?

No. The panel is a view for staff to follow up. It shows each learner's last activity date with their contact details and their employer or manager contact details, so you can get in touch.

Can managers see the 28-day view across their teams?

Employers can't see the 28-day panel or the activity log review screens at the moment. Giving employers a view of their learners' activity is something we may look at in future.

For provider staff, the panel shows learners on your own caseload. Letting staff with wider group access switch from 'my learners' to 'all learners' they have access to is something we're considering, along with exporting the 28-day list as a CSV. We don't have dates for either yet.

Can the last logged activity for each learner be shown on dashboards?

Today, the 28-day panel shows the last activity date for learners who haven't had activity accepted recently. Making each learner's last verified activity log date available as a data point across the platform, to support monthly tracking, is something we're considering. We don't have a date yet.

The Hours log compliance document and audit 

Where is the Hours log compliance document, and can tutors generate a new one?

The Hours log is always available on the Signatures page, in the Not created tab, for every learner on a programme with the Training - Apprenticeship delivery type, whether or not the programme uses activity log. It draws on hours recorded in activity log and hours recorded against evidence on the learning plan, so every apprenticeship programme can produce one for audit. There's nothing to set up. You can generate a new Hours log whenever you need one. Each one is a snapshot of the learner's accepted hours at the moment it's generated, saved as a new date-stamped PDF in their compliance documents. Earlier versions are kept and aren't changed, so you build up a history over the programme, for example one per review or before an audit. Each version goes through the usual signature workflow for the learner, tutor and employer.

Can the Hours log be switched off?

There's no setting to switch it off, and you don't need one: an Hours log is only created when someone generates it, so if you'd rather not use it, you don't have to.

We do strongly recommend using it. It brings together all of a learner's accepted activity in a format designed for audit, signed off by the learner, tutor and employer.

How much detail does an activity log entry hold for audit?

Each entry records the activity type, when it took place (paid working hours or the learner's own time), a description of up to 1,000 characters, the date, the time spent and the linked learning plan component, with an optional supporting file. Tutors accept or reject each entry, with a reason for any rejection. You can download a learner's full audit log as a CSV from their activity history.

The level of detail you expect in the description is for your organisation to set, and we recommend sharing clear guidance with learners.

Mobile access

Can learners use activity log on their phones?

Yes. Aptem works in a mobile browser, so learners can log activity on their phones.

What should we do if activity log doesn't display properly on an iPhone?

We're not aware of a specific issue with activity log on iPhones. If you see one, please raise a support ticket with a few examples. The iPhone model, iOS version, browser and a screenshot of what's missing will help the team reproduce it quickly. If submission buttons are affected elsewhere in Aptem too, include those, so we can see whether it's the same underlying problem.