diff --git a/admin/tasklogs.php b/admin/tasklogs.php
index 0fb52069512..796f323b1a0 100644
--- a/admin/tasklogs.php
+++ b/admin/tasklogs.php
@@ -62,6 +62,8 @@ if (null !== $logid) {
 $renderer = $PAGE->get_renderer('tool_task');
 
 echo $OUTPUT->header();
+
+// Output the search form.
 echo $OUTPUT->render_from_template('core_admin/tasklogs', (object) [
     'action' => $pageurl->out(),
     'filter' => $filter,
@@ -84,6 +86,7 @@ echo $OUTPUT->render_from_template('core_admin/tasklogs', (object) [
     ],
 ]);
 
+// Output any matching logs.
 $table = new \core_admin\task_log_table($filter, $result);
 $table->baseurl = $pageurl;
 $table->out(100, false);
diff --git a/admin/templates/tasklogs.mustache b/admin/templates/tasklogs.mustache
index c3180a2cb22..bb180b6b4af 100644
--- a/admin/templates/tasklogs.mustache
+++ b/admin/templates/tasklogs.mustache
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 {{!
     @template core_admin/tasklogs
 
-    Task Logs template.
+    This is the template for the search form which appears above the task logs report.
 }}
 <form class="form-inline" method="GET" action="{{{action}}}">
     <label class="sr-only" for="tasklog-filter">{{#str}}filter{{/str}}</label>
diff --git a/admin/tool/task/clear_fail_delay.php b/admin/tool/task/clear_fail_delay.php
index 8f41b453df9..8f357b8a7ba 100644
--- a/admin/tool/task/clear_fail_delay.php
+++ b/admin/tool/task/clear_fail_delay.php
@@ -39,13 +39,16 @@ if (!$task) {
     print_error('cannotfindinfo', 'error', $taskname);
 }
 
+$returnurl = new moodle_url('/admin/tool/task/scheduledtasks.php',
+        ['lastchanged' => get_class($task)]);
+
 // If actually doing the clear, then carry out the task and redirect to the scheduled task page.
 if (optional_param('confirm', 0, PARAM_INT)) {
     require_sesskey();
 
     \core\task\manager::clear_fail_delay($task);
 
-    redirect(new moodle_url('/admin/tool/task/scheduledtasks.php'));
+    redirect($returnurl);
 }
 
 // Start output.
@@ -60,9 +63,8 @@ echo $OUTPUT->header();
 // they confirm.
 echo $OUTPUT->confirm(get_string('clearfaildelay_confirm', 'tool_task', $task->get_name()),
         new single_button(new moodle_url('/admin/tool/task/clear_fail_delay.php',
-                array('task' => $taskname, 'confirm' => 1, 'sesskey' => sesskey())),
+                ['task' => $taskname, 'confirm' => 1, 'sesskey' => sesskey()]),
                 get_string('clear')),
-        new single_button(new moodle_url('/admin/tool/task/scheduledtasks.php'),
-                get_string('cancel'), false));
+        new single_button($returnurl, get_string('cancel'), false));
 
 echo $OUTPUT->footer();
diff --git a/admin/tool/task/lang/en/tool_task.php b/admin/tool/task/lang/en/tool_task.php
index 76ab5da34a0..e48348a0e58 100644
--- a/admin/tool/task/lang/en/tool_task.php
+++ b/admin/tool/task/lang/en/tool_task.php
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ $string['clearfaildelay_confirm'] = 'Are you sure you want to clear the fail del
 $string['component'] = 'Component';
 $string['corecomponent'] = 'Core';
 $string['default'] = 'Default';
+$string['defaultx'] = 'Default: {$a}';
 $string['disabled'] = 'Disabled';
 $string['disabled_help'] = 'Disabled scheduled tasks are not executed from cron, however they can still be executed manually via the CLI tool.';
 $string['edittaskschedule'] = 'Edit task schedule: {$a}';
diff --git a/admin/tool/task/renderer.php b/admin/tool/task/renderer.php
index 3afd20c6b67..418fd7e50b0 100644
--- a/admin/tool/task/renderer.php
+++ b/admin/tool/task/renderer.php
@@ -36,9 +36,10 @@ class tool_task_renderer extends plugin_renderer_base {
      * This function will render one beautiful table with all the scheduled tasks.
      *
      * @param \core\task\scheduled_task[] $tasks - list of all scheduled tasks.
+     * @param string $lastchanged (optional) the last task edited. Gets highlighted in teh table.
      * @return string HTML to output.
      */
-    public function scheduled_tasks_table($tasks) {
+    public function scheduled_tasks_table($tasks, $lastchanged = '') {
         global $CFG;
 
         $showloglink = \core\task\logmanager::has_log_report();
@@ -68,7 +69,7 @@ class tool_task_renderer extends plugin_renderer_base {
             $table->colclasses['3'] = 'hidden';
         }
 
-        $data = array();
+        $data = [];
         $yes = get_string('yes');
         $no = get_string('no');
         $never = get_string('never');
@@ -77,35 +78,46 @@ class tool_task_renderer extends plugin_renderer_base {
         $plugindisabledstr = get_string('plugindisabled', 'tool_task');
         $runnabletasks = tool_task\run_from_cli::is_runnable();
         foreach ($tasks as $task) {
+            $classname = get_class($task);
+            $defaulttask = \core\task\manager::get_default_scheduled_task($classname, false);
+
             $customised = $task->is_customised() ? $no : $yes;
             if (empty($CFG->preventscheduledtaskchanges)) {
-                $configureurl = new moodle_url('/admin/tool/task/scheduledtasks.php', array('action'=>'edit', 'task' => get_class($task)));
-                $editlink = $this->action_icon($configureurl, new pix_icon('t/edit', get_string('edittaskschedule', 'tool_task', $task->get_name())));
+                $configureurl = new moodle_url('/admin/tool/task/scheduledtasks.php',
+                        ['action' => 'edit', 'task' => $classname]);
+                $editlink = $this->output->action_icon($configureurl, new pix_icon('t/edit',
+                        get_string('edittaskschedule', 'tool_task', $task->get_name())));
             } else {
-                $editlink = $this->render(new pix_icon('t/locked', get_string('scheduledtaskchangesdisabled', 'tool_task')));
+                $editlink = $this->render(new pix_icon('t/locked',
+                        get_string('scheduledtaskchangesdisabled', 'tool_task')));
             }
 
             $loglink = '';
             if ($showloglink) {
-                $loglink = $this->action_icon(
-                    \core\task\logmanager::get_url_for_task_class(get_class($task)),
+                $loglink = $this->output->action_icon(
+                    \core\task\logmanager::get_url_for_task_class($classname),
                     new pix_icon('e/file-text', get_string('viewlogs', 'tool_task', $task->get_name())
                 ));
             }
 
-            $namecell = new html_table_cell($task->get_name() . "\n" . html_writer::tag('span', '\\'.get_class($task),
-                array('class' => 'task-class text-ltr')));
+            $namecell = new html_table_cell($task->get_name() . "\n" .
+                    html_writer::span('\\' . $classname, 'task-class text-ltr'));
             $namecell->header = true;
 
             $component = $task->get_component();
             $plugininfo = null;
-            list($type, $plugin) = core_component::normalize_component($component);
+            list($type) = core_component::normalize_component($component);
             if ($type === 'core') {
                 $componentcell = new html_table_cell(get_string('corecomponent', 'tool_task'));
             } else {
                 if ($plugininfo = core_plugin_manager::instance()->get_plugin_info($component)) {
                     $plugininfo->init_display_name();
                     $componentcell = new html_table_cell($plugininfo->displayname);
+                    if (!$plugininfo->is_enabled()) {
+                        $componentcell->text .= ' ' . html_writer::span(
+                                get_string('disabled', 'tool_task'), 'badge badge-secondary');
+                    }
+                    $componentcell->text .= "\n" . html_writer::span($plugininfo->component, 'task-class text-ltr');
                 } else {
                     $componentcell = new html_table_cell($component);
                 }
@@ -127,59 +139,100 @@ class tool_task_renderer extends plugin_renderer_base {
             }
 
             $runnow = '';
-            if ( ! $disabled && get_config('tool_task', 'enablerunnow') && $runnabletasks ) {
+            if (!$disabled && get_config('tool_task', 'enablerunnow') && $runnabletasks ) {
                 $runnow = html_writer::div(html_writer::link(
                         new moodle_url('/admin/tool/task/schedule_task.php',
-                            array('task' => get_class($task))),
+                            ['task' => $classname]),
                         get_string('runnow', 'tool_task')), 'task-runnow');
             }
 
-            $clearfail = '';
+            $faildelaycell = new html_table_cell($task->get_fail_delay());
             if ($task->get_fail_delay()) {
-                $clearfail = html_writer::div(html_writer::link(
+                $faildelaycell->text .= html_writer::div(html_writer::link(
                         new moodle_url('/admin/tool/task/clear_fail_delay.php',
-                                array('task' => get_class($task), 'sesskey' => sesskey())),
+                                ['task' => $classname, 'sesskey' => sesskey()]),
                         get_string('clear')), 'task-clearfaildelay');
+                $faildelaycell->attributes['class'] = 'table-danger';
             }
 
-            $row = new html_table_row(array(
+            $row = new html_table_row([
                         $namecell,
                         $componentcell,
                         new html_table_cell($editlink),
                         new html_table_cell($loglink),
                         new html_table_cell($lastrun . $runnow),
                         new html_table_cell($nextrun),
-                        new html_table_cell($task->get_minute()),
-                        new html_table_cell($task->get_hour()),
-                        new html_table_cell($task->get_day()),
-                        new html_table_cell($task->get_day_of_week()),
-                        new html_table_cell($task->get_month()),
-                        new html_table_cell($task->get_fail_delay() . $clearfail),
-                        new html_table_cell($customised)));
-
-            // Cron-style values must always be LTR.
-            $row->cells[6]->attributes['class'] = 'text-ltr';
-            $row->cells[7]->attributes['class'] = 'text-ltr';
-            $row->cells[8]->attributes['class'] = 'text-ltr';
-            $row->cells[9]->attributes['class'] = 'text-ltr';
-            $row->cells[10]->attributes['class'] = 'text-ltr';
+                        $this->time_cell($task->get_minute(), $defaulttask->get_minute()),
+                        $this->time_cell($task->get_hour(), $defaulttask->get_hour()),
+                        $this->time_cell($task->get_day(), $defaulttask->get_day()),
+                        $this->time_cell($task->get_day_of_week(), $defaulttask->get_day_of_week()),
+                        $this->time_cell($task->get_month(), $defaulttask->get_month()),
+                        $faildelaycell,
+                        new html_table_cell($customised)]);
 
+            $classes = [];
             if ($disabled) {
-                $row->attributes['class'] = 'disabled';
+                $classes[] = 'disabled';
             }
+            if (get_class($task) == $lastchanged) {
+                $classes[] = 'table-primary';
+            }
+            $row->attributes['class'] = implode(' ', $classes);
             $data[] = $row;
         }
         $table->data = $data;
+        if ($lastchanged) {
+            $this->page->requires->js_init_code(
+                    'document.querySelector("tr.table-primary").scrollIntoView({block: "center"});');
+        }
         return html_writer::table($table);
     }
 
+    /**
+     * Get a table cell to show one time, comparing it to the default.
+     *
+     * @param string $current the current setting.
+     * @param string $default the default setting from the db/tasks.php file.
+     * @return html_table_cell for use in the table.
+     */
+    protected function time_cell(string $current, string $default): html_table_cell {
+        $cell = new html_table_cell($current);
+        // Cron-style values must always be LTR.
+        $cell->attributes['class'] = 'text-ltr';
+
+        // If the current value is default, that is all we want to do.
+        if ($default === '*') {
+            if ($current === '*') {
+                return $cell;
+            }
+        } else if ($default === 'R' ) {
+            if (is_numeric($current)) {
+                return $cell;
+            }
+        } else {
+            if ($default === $current) {
+                return $cell;
+            }
+        }
+
+        // Otherwise, highlight and show the default.
+        $cell->attributes['class'] .= ' table-warning';
+        $cell->text .= ' ' . html_writer::span(
+                get_string('defaultx', 'tool_task', $default), 'task-class');
+        return $cell;
+    }
+
     /**
      * Renders a link back to the scheduled tasks page (used from the 'run now' screen).
      *
+     * @param string $taskclassname if specified, the list of tasks will scroll to show this task.
      * @return string HTML code
      */
-    public function link_back() {
-        return $this->render_from_template('tool_task/link_back',
-                array('url' => new moodle_url('/admin/tool/task/scheduledtasks.php')));
+    public function link_back($taskclassname = '') {
+        $url = new moodle_url('/admin/tool/task/scheduledtasks.php');
+        if ($taskclassname) {
+            $url->param('lastchanged', $taskclassname);
+        }
+        return $this->render_from_template('tool_task/link_back', ['url' => $url]);
     }
 }
diff --git a/admin/tool/task/schedule_task.php b/admin/tool/task/schedule_task.php
index fd7bc30bb3b..b404a82f583 100644
--- a/admin/tool/task/schedule_task.php
+++ b/admin/tool/task/schedule_task.php
@@ -71,9 +71,10 @@ echo $OUTPUT->heading($task->get_name());
 if (!optional_param('confirm', 0, PARAM_INT)) {
     echo $OUTPUT->confirm(get_string('runnow_confirm', 'tool_task', $task->get_name()),
             new single_button(new moodle_url('/admin/tool/task/schedule_task.php',
-            array('task' => $taskname, 'confirm' => 1, 'sesskey' => sesskey())),
+                    ['task' => $taskname, 'confirm' => 1, 'sesskey' => sesskey()]),
             get_string('runnow', 'tool_task')),
-            new single_button(new moodle_url('/admin/tool/task/scheduledtasks.php'),
+            new single_button(new moodle_url('/admin/tool/task/scheduledtasks.php',
+                    ['lastchanged' => get_class($task)]),
             get_string('cancel'), false));
     echo $OUTPUT->footer();
     exit;
@@ -97,6 +98,6 @@ $output = $PAGE->get_renderer('tool_task');
 echo $OUTPUT->single_button(new moodle_url('/admin/tool/task/schedule_task.php',
         array('task' => $taskname, 'confirm' => 1, 'sesskey' => sesskey())),
         get_string('runagain', 'tool_task'));
-echo $output->link_back();
+echo $output->link_back(get_class($task));
 
 echo $OUTPUT->footer();
diff --git a/admin/tool/task/scheduledtasks.php b/admin/tool/task/scheduledtasks.php
index 90d8b8d0ebf..78b0be56558 100644
--- a/admin/tool/task/scheduledtasks.php
+++ b/admin/tool/task/scheduledtasks.php
@@ -26,19 +26,12 @@ require_once(__DIR__ . '/../../../config.php');
 require_once($CFG->libdir.'/adminlib.php');
 require_once($CFG->libdir.'/tablelib.php');
 
-$PAGE->set_url('/admin/tool/task/scheduledtasks.php');
-$PAGE->set_context(context_system::instance());
-$PAGE->set_pagelayout('admin');
-$strheading = get_string('scheduledtasks', 'tool_task');
-$PAGE->set_title($strheading);
-$PAGE->set_heading($strheading);
-
-require_admin();
-
-$renderer = $PAGE->get_renderer('tool_task');
+admin_externalpage_setup('scheduledtasks');
 
 $action = optional_param('action', '', PARAM_ALPHAEXT);
 $taskname = optional_param('task', '', PARAM_RAW);
+$lastchanged = optional_param('lastchanged', '', PARAM_RAW);
+
 $task = null;
 $mform = null;
 
@@ -55,15 +48,14 @@ if ($action == 'edit') {
 
 if ($task) {
     $mform = new tool_task_edit_scheduled_task_form(null, $task);
+    $nexturl = new moodle_url($PAGE->url, ['lastchanged' => $taskname]);
 }
 
 if ($mform && ($mform->is_cancelled() || !empty($CFG->preventscheduledtaskchanges))) {
-    redirect(new moodle_url('/admin/tool/task/scheduledtasks.php'));
+    redirect($nexturl);
 } else if ($action == 'edit' && empty($CFG->preventscheduledtaskchanges)) {
 
     if ($data = $mform->get_data()) {
-
-
         if ($data->resettodefaults) {
             $defaulttask = \core\task\manager::get_default_scheduled_task($taskname);
             $task->set_minute($defaulttask->get_minute());
@@ -85,9 +77,9 @@ if ($mform && ($mform->is_cancelled() || !empty($CFG->preventscheduledtaskchange
 
         try {
             \core\task\manager::configure_scheduled_task($task);
-            redirect($PAGE->url, get_string('changessaved'), null, \core\output\notification::NOTIFY_SUCCESS);
+            redirect($nexturl, get_string('changessaved'), null, \core\output\notification::NOTIFY_SUCCESS);
         } catch (Exception $e) {
-            redirect($PAGE->url, $e->getMessage(), null, \core\output\notification::NOTIFY_ERROR);
+            redirect($nexturl, $e->getMessage(), null, \core\output\notification::NOTIFY_ERROR);
         }
     } else {
         echo $OUTPUT->header();
@@ -97,8 +89,9 @@ if ($mform && ($mform->is_cancelled() || !empty($CFG->preventscheduledtaskchange
     }
 
 } else {
+    $renderer = $PAGE->get_renderer('tool_task');
     echo $OUTPUT->header();
     $tasks = core\task\manager::get_all_scheduled_tasks();
-    echo $renderer->scheduled_tasks_table($tasks);
+    echo $renderer->scheduled_tasks_table($tasks, $lastchanged);
     echo $OUTPUT->footer();
 }
diff --git a/admin/tool/task/tests/behat/clear_fail_delay.feature b/admin/tool/task/tests/behat/clear_fail_delay.feature
index aaa36d91029..643750b6b23 100644
--- a/admin/tool/task/tests/behat/clear_fail_delay.feature
+++ b/admin/tool/task/tests/behat/clear_fail_delay.feature
@@ -9,6 +9,11 @@ Feature: Clear scheduled task fail delay
     And I log in as "admin"
     And I navigate to "Server > Tasks > Scheduled tasks" in site administration
 
+  Scenario: Any fail delay is highlighted
+    Then I should see "60" in the "Send new user passwords" "table_row"
+    And I should see "Clear" in the "Send new user passwords" "table_row"
+    And I should see "60" in the "td.table-danger" "css_element"
+
   Scenario: Clear fail delay
     When I click on "Clear" "text" in the "Send new user passwords" "table_row"
     And I should see "Are you sure you want to clear the fail delay"
@@ -16,6 +21,8 @@ Feature: Clear scheduled task fail delay
 
     Then I should not see "60" in the "Send new user passwords" "table_row"
     And I should not see "Clear" in the "Send new user passwords" "table_row"
+    And I should see "Send new user passwords" in the "tr.table-primary" "css_element"
+
 
   Scenario: Cancel clearing the fail delay
     When I click on "Clear" "text" in the "Send new user passwords" "table_row"
@@ -23,3 +30,4 @@ Feature: Clear scheduled task fail delay
 
     Then I should see "60" in the "Send new user passwords" "table_row"
     And I should see "Clear" in the "Send new user passwords" "table_row"
+    And I should see "Send new user passwords" in the "tr.table-primary" "css_element"
diff --git a/admin/tool/task/tests/behat/manage_tasks.feature b/admin/tool/task/tests/behat/manage_tasks.feature
index 4da19e56783..6b97b6880f1 100644
--- a/admin/tool/task/tests/behat/manage_tasks.feature
+++ b/admin/tool/task/tests/behat/manage_tasks.feature
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ Feature: Manage scheduled tasks
     And I press "Save changes"
     Then I should see "Changes saved"
     And I should see "Task disabled" in the "Log table cleanup" "table_row"
+    And I should see "Log table cleanup" in the "tr.table-primary" "css_element"
 
   Scenario: Enable scheduled task
     When I click on "Edit task schedule: Log table cleanup" "link" in the "Log table cleanup" "table_row"
@@ -25,6 +26,7 @@ Feature: Manage scheduled tasks
     And I press "Save changes"
     Then I should see "Changes saved"
     And I should not see "Task disabled" in the "Log table cleanup" "table_row"
+    And I should see "Log table cleanup" in the "tr.table-primary" "css_element"
 
   Scenario: Edit scheduled task
     When I click on "Edit task schedule: Log table cleanup" "link" in the "Log table cleanup" "table_row"
@@ -38,8 +40,10 @@ Feature: Manage scheduled tasks
     And I press "Save changes"
     Then I should see "Changes saved"
     And the following should exist in the "admintable" table:
-      | Component    | Minute | Hour | Day | Day of week | Month |
-      | Standard log | */5    | 1    | 2   | 4           | 3     |
+      | Component                      | Minute         | Hour         | Day          | Day of week  | Month        |
+      | Standard log logstore_standard | */5 Default: R | 1 Default: 4 | 2 Default: * | 4 Default: * | 3 Default: * |
+    And I should see "Log table cleanup" in the "tr.table-primary" "css_element"
+    And I should see "*/5 Default: R" in the "td.table-warning" "css_element"
 
   Scenario: Reset scheduled task to default
     When I click on "Edit task schedule: Log table cleanup" "link" in the "Log table cleanup" "table_row"
@@ -50,4 +54,5 @@ Feature: Manage scheduled tasks
     Then I should see "Changes saved"
     And the following should not exist in the "admintable" table:
       | Name               | Component    | Minute | Hour | Day | Day of week | Month |
-      | Log table cleanup  | Standard log | */5    | 1    | 2   | 4           | 3     |
\ No newline at end of file
+      | Log table cleanup  | Standard log | */5    | 1    | 2   | 4           | 3     |
+    And I should see "Log table cleanup" in the "tr.table-primary" "css_element"
diff --git a/blocks/admin_bookmarks/tests/behat/bookmark_admin_pages.feature b/blocks/admin_bookmarks/tests/behat/bookmark_admin_pages.feature
index 5d6f205fe24..6ecdbcdf33b 100644
--- a/blocks/admin_bookmarks/tests/behat/bookmark_admin_pages.feature
+++ b/blocks/admin_bookmarks/tests/behat/bookmark_admin_pages.feature
@@ -24,7 +24,7 @@ Feature: Add a bookmarks to an admin pages
     And I navigate to "Notifications" in site administration
     And I click on "Scheduled tasks" "link" in the "Admin bookmarks" "block"
     # Verify that we are on the right page.
-    Then I should see "Scheduled tasks" in the "h1" "css_element"
+    Then I should see "Day of week" in the "admintable" "table"
 
   Scenario: Admin page can be removed from bookmarks
     Given I log in as "admin"
diff --git a/lib/classes/task/manager.php b/lib/classes/task/manager.php
index c7f5033d476..b7fd89c9054 100644
--- a/lib/classes/task/manager.php
+++ b/lib/classes/task/manager.php
@@ -40,9 +40,11 @@ class manager {
      * Given a component name, will load the list of tasks in the db/tasks.php file for that component.
      *
      * @param string $componentname - The name of the component to fetch the tasks for.
+     * @param bool $expandr - if true (default) an 'R' value in a time is expanded to an appropriate int.
+     *      If false, they are left as 'R'
      * @return \core\task\scheduled_task[] - List of scheduled tasks for this component.
      */
-    public static function load_default_scheduled_tasks_for_component($componentname) {
+    public static function load_default_scheduled_tasks_for_component($componentname, $expandr = true) {
         $dir = \core_component::get_component_directory($componentname);
 
         if (!$dir) {
@@ -65,7 +67,7 @@ class manager {
 
         foreach ($tasks as $task) {
             $record = (object) $task;
-            $scheduledtask = self::scheduled_task_from_record($record);
+            $scheduledtask = self::scheduled_task_from_record($record, $expandr);
             // Safety check in case the task in the DB does not match a real class (maybe something was uninstalled).
             if ($scheduledtask) {
                 $scheduledtask->set_component($componentname);
@@ -318,9 +320,11 @@ class manager {
      * Utility method to create a task from a DB record.
      *
      * @param \stdClass $record
-     * @return \core\task\scheduled_task
+     * @param bool $expandr - if true (default) an 'R' value in a time is expanded to an appropriate int.
+     *      If false, they are left as 'R'
+     * @return \core\task\scheduled_task|false
      */
-    public static function scheduled_task_from_record($record) {
+    public static function scheduled_task_from_record($record, $expandr = true) {
         $classname = self::get_canonical_class_name($record->classname);
         if (!class_exists($classname)) {
             debugging("Failed to load task: " . $classname, DEBUG_DEVELOPER);
@@ -342,10 +346,10 @@ class manager {
         }
         $task->set_blocking(!empty($record->blocking));
         if (isset($record->minute)) {
-            $task->set_minute($record->minute);
+            $task->set_minute($record->minute, $expandr);
         }
         if (isset($record->hour)) {
-            $task->set_hour($record->hour);
+            $task->set_hour($record->hour, $expandr);
         }
         if (isset($record->day)) {
             $task->set_day($record->day);
@@ -354,7 +358,7 @@ class manager {
             $task->set_month($record->month);
         }
         if (isset($record->dayofweek)) {
-            $task->set_day_of_week($record->dayofweek);
+            $task->set_day_of_week($record->dayofweek, $expandr);
         }
         if (isset($record->faildelay)) {
             $task->set_fail_delay($record->faildelay);
@@ -429,15 +433,18 @@ class manager {
      * This function load the default scheduled task details for a given classname.
      *
      * @param string $classname
-     * @return \core\task\scheduled_task or false
+     * @param bool $expandr - if true (default) an 'R' value in a time is expanded to an appropriate int.
+     *      If false, they are left as 'R'
+     * @return \core\task\scheduled_task|false
      */
-    public static function get_default_scheduled_task($classname) {
+    public static function get_default_scheduled_task($classname, $expandr = true) {
         $task = self::get_scheduled_task($classname);
         $componenttasks = array();
 
         // Safety check in case no task was found for the given classname.
         if ($task) {
-            $componenttasks = self::load_default_scheduled_tasks_for_component($task->get_component());
+            $componenttasks = self::load_default_scheduled_tasks_for_component(
+                    $task->get_component(), $expandr);
         }
 
         foreach ($componenttasks as $componenttask) {
diff --git a/lib/classes/task/scheduled_task.php b/lib/classes/task/scheduled_task.php
index 42500ab2d0d..492e4c502e8 100644
--- a/lib/classes/task/scheduled_task.php
+++ b/lib/classes/task/scheduled_task.php
@@ -106,9 +106,11 @@ abstract class scheduled_task extends task_base {
      * Setter for $minute. Accepts a special 'R' value
      * which will be translated to a random minute.
      * @param string $minute
+     * @param bool $expandr - if true (default) an 'R' value in a time is expanded to an appropriate int.
+     *      If false, they are left as 'R'
      */
-    public function set_minute($minute) {
-        if ($minute === 'R') {
+    public function set_minute($minute, $expandr = true) {
+        if ($minute === 'R' && $expandr) {
             $minute = mt_rand(self::HOURMIN, self::HOURMAX);
         }
         $this->minute = $minute;
@@ -126,9 +128,11 @@ abstract class scheduled_task extends task_base {
      * Setter for $hour. Accepts a special 'R' value
      * which will be translated to a random hour.
      * @param string $hour
+     * @param bool $expandr - if true (default) an 'R' value in a time is expanded to an appropriate int.
+     *      If false, they are left as 'R'
      */
-    public function set_hour($hour) {
-        if ($hour === 'R') {
+    public function set_hour($hour, $expandr = true) {
+        if ($hour === 'R' && $expandr) {
             $hour = mt_rand(self::HOURMIN, self::HOURMAX);
         }
         $this->hour = $hour;
@@ -177,9 +181,11 @@ abstract class scheduled_task extends task_base {
     /**
      * Setter for $dayofweek.
      * @param string $dayofweek
+     * @param bool $expandr - if true (default) an 'R' value in a time is expanded to an appropriate int.
+     *      If false, they are left as 'R'
      */
-    public function set_day_of_week($dayofweek) {
-        if ($dayofweek === 'R') {
+    public function set_day_of_week($dayofweek, $expandr = true) {
+        if ($dayofweek === 'R' && $expandr) {
             $dayofweek = mt_rand(self::DAYOFWEEKMIN, self::DAYOFWEEKMAX);
         }
         $this->dayofweek = $dayofweek;