diff --git a/lib/adminlib.php b/lib/adminlib.php
index 3c9fd6befa0..b8014159a05 100644
--- a/lib/adminlib.php
+++ b/lib/adminlib.php
@@ -1508,7 +1508,8 @@ class admin_setting_configtext extends admin_setting {
      * @return mixed true if ok string if error found
      */
     public function validate($data) {
-        if (is_string($this->paramtype)) {
+        // allow paramtype to be a custom regex if it is the form of /pattern/
+        if (preg_match('#^/.*/$#', $this->paramtype)) {
             if (preg_match($this->paramtype, $data)) {
                 return true;
             } else {
diff --git a/mod/scorm/settings.php b/mod/scorm/settings.php
index 5212f3a2e1c..b7078c9068d 100644
--- a/mod/scorm/settings.php
+++ b/mod/scorm/settings.php
@@ -56,6 +56,6 @@ $settings->add(new admin_setting_configcheckbox('scorm/allowtypeimsrepository',
 
 $settings->add(new admin_setting_configcheckbox('scorm/allowapidebug', get_string('allowapidebug', 'scorm'), '', 0));
 
-$settings->add(new admin_setting_configtext('scorm/apidebugmask', get_string('apidebugmask', 'scorm'), '', '.*'));
+$settings->add(new admin_setting_configtext('scorm/apidebugmask', get_string('apidebugmask', 'scorm'), '', '/.*/'));
 
-?>
\ No newline at end of file
+?>