Course Administration

Faculty and graduate student lecturers are responsible for instructing students about the meaning and importance of academic integrity and for maintaining this concept throughout the educational process.

Rather than assuming a common understanding of academic integrity, please clearly define this concept to your students. Students should be told at the outset of a course that the work they submit must be their own. Any form of collaboration that is encouraged or permitted in the course should be clearly described, and rules regarding the acknowledgment of sources should be explained.

Instances of dishonesty should immediately be given serious attention, not ignored or humorously tolerated. Deliberate fraudulence by a student to advance his or her academic status usually merits a penalty of some severity.

Academic integrity policies

One purpose of Cornell’s Code of Academic Integrity is to assure students of due process, thus protecting them from possibly arbitrary, unreasonable, or mistaken actions by an instructor. Another purpose is to provide a means of accumulating a confidential record of integrity violations, so that repeated offenses by the same student will be noted and will draw appropriate response.

We urge you to familiarize yourself with the university’s policies on academic integrity and research conduct and with the Student Code of Conduct.

We also encourage you and your students to watch the 14-minute video entitled Cheating from the Office of the Provost.

If necessary action is required, strictly follow the outlined procedures. Remember, an informal discussion with a student does not constitute a primary hearing. For your own protection and for the protection of the student’s rights, stop any discussion in which plagiarism is admitted or perceived and arrange to hold a primary hearing with an independent witness.

Academic misconduct

Misconduct is any activity that disturbs the normal course of operations in the classroom or in an examination but does not amount to or cannot be established as a violation of academic integrity.

You may impose a grade penalty for misconduct: talking during an examination, bringing unauthorized materials into the examination room (but not actually using them), and disruptive behavior in the classroom.

You must promptly notify the student of the grade penalty and to what degree the student’s grade will be affected. This notification should also include the student’s right to appeal. Please refer to the university faculty handbook for further information.

Alcohol policy

Faculty, graduate students, lecturers, and TAs are agents of the university and are expected to uphold the standards of the Student Code of Conduct and University Policy 4.8 Alcohol and Other Drugs by maintaining a workplace free of drugs and acohol abuse and by behaving responsibly around these substances.

We ask that Winter and Summer Session instructors make every effort to provide accessible course content to ensure that all students can fully participate in courses. The resources below will assist you in this effort.

Credit hours

Cornell adheres to United States Department of Education, New York State Education Department, and Middle States Commission on Higher Education guidelines pertaining to the definition of a credit hour. For more information, see the policy on Defining and Assigning Credit Hours.

In general, during the Summer or Winter Session:

• One-credit classes meet for a minimum of 12.5 instructor contact hours (750 minutes, not including the final exam)
• Two-credit classes meet for a minimum of 25 instructor contact hours (1,500 minutes, not including the final exam)
• Three-credit classes meet for a minimum of 37.5 instructor contact hours (2,250 minutes, not including the final exam)
• Four-credit classes meet for a minimum of 50 instructor contact hours (3,000 minutes, not including the final exam)

Contact hour value for secondary class components LAB and STU is 2:1 compared to the primary component. In other words, every two contact hours spent in these secondary components counts as one contact hour towards your overall requirement.

Ideally, longer classes are scheduled for two daily meetings rather than a single meeting.

The contact hours must account for holiday observances.

Online courses at Cornell also comply with policies related to distance education. Regardless of instruction mode or delivery method, the same minimum amount of combined instructional time and supplemental work is required for credit, and faculty must provide regular and substantive interactions with students. However, in an online course, instructional time may take different forms, such as reading/watching synchronous or asynchronous course lectures, participating in faculty-moderated online discussions, and other required academic interactions with faculty.

Summer/Winter schedules

Deviations from the desired schedules below must be approved by a dean of the School of Continuing Education.

Three-Week Summer/Winter Sessions

The three-week sessions concentrate on the needs of Cornell undergraduates. We recommend proposing courses expected to have wait lists in the spring term, prerequisites for fall courses, and special interest to majors in a particular field.

This session is made up of 11 to 16 days of classes and two to three study weekends, depending on whether it is in the winter or summer term. Most students are permitted to register for only one course in a three-week session and are expected to work on this course full-time. We recommend that instructors post the initial assignments or books to be read so that students may get a head start if they wish.

Because students take only one course, class meetings may be adjusted at the discretion of the instructor and students at the first class meeting. The SCE office must then be notified of any change made to the published class time.

Three-week winter classes

SCE reviews proposals for classes offered online or off campus in the U.S. (No on-campus classes are offered.) For information about offering a short-term international program during Winter Session contact the Office of Global Learning.

Note about domestic off-campus courses: These site-based classes offered off the Ithaca campus but in the U.S. have a new budget model that gives instructors and departments autonomy and brings these classes in line with the international programs offered by the Office of Global Learning. SCE will limit its activities for these classes to rostering and enrollment management. The offering academic departments are responsible for all planning, financial, and logistical elements. This includes but is not limited to travel, accommodation, space rentals, instructor and TA salaries, and guest speaker honoraria. Faculty interested in offering such courses should contact their department chair. Proposals must be approved by your department chairperson and be submitted electronically by the department course coordinator.

Winter Session 2026 final exams will be held on the last day of instruction, January 16, at a time to be arranged by the instructor and announced the first week of classes. Exams may be held on January 17, 2026, if approved, by SCE, prior to the start of classes. See final exams below.

Three-week summer classes

Three-week summer courses usually meet for three (3) hours per day, Monday through Friday, as convenient to the instructor, preferably in two meetings daily rather than a single meeting.

Classes are not held on June 19, July 4, or the university holiday in observance of these dates.

In summer, final exams are given on the last day of classes or at a designated time posted at the start of class.

See final exams below.

Six-Week Summer Session

The six-week session has the greatest number of course offerings and the largest enrollment of all the sessions.

Two-credit courses meet a minimum of 55 minutes per day, Monday through Friday during the following time periods:

• 8:30 – 9:25 a.m.
• 10:00 – 10:55 a.m.
• 11:30 a.m. – 12:25 p.m.
• 1:00 – 1:55 p.m.
• 2:30 – 3:25 p.m.
• 4:00 – 4:55 p.m.

Three-credit courses meet a minimum of 75 minutes (1 hour, 15 minutes) per day, Monday through Friday, during the following time periods:

• 8:30 – 9:45 a.m.
• 10:00 – 11:15 a.m.
• 11:30 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.
• 1:00 – 2:15 p.m.
• 2:30 – 3:45 p.m.
• 4:00 – 5:15 p.m.

Four-credit courses meet a minimum of 105 minutes (1 hour, 45 minutes) per day, Monday through Friday, during the following time periods:

• 8:30 – 10:15 a.m.
• 10:30 a.m. – 12:15 p.m.
• 11:30 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
• 1:00 – 2:45 p.m.
• 2:30 – 4:15 p.m.
• 4:00 – 5:45 p.m.

Classes are not held on June 19, July 4, or the university holiday in observance of these dates.

Final exams are given in the assigned classroom on the Monday and Tuesday following the last Friday of classes. (See final exams below for any classroom changes.)

Eight-Week Summer Session

The eight-week session is designed primarily for science and mathematics courses that require more laboratory time than is available in the six-week session.

Three-credit courses meet a minimum of 60 minutes per day, Monday through Friday, during the following time periods:

• 8:30 – 9:30 a.m.
• 10:00 – 11:00 a.m.
• 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
• 1:00 – 2:00 p.m.
• 2:30 – 3:30 p.m.
• 4:00 – 5:00 p.m.

Four-credit courses meet a minimum of 80 minutes per day, Monday through Friday, during the following time periods:

• 8:30 – 9:50 a.m.
• 10:00 – 11:20 a.m.
• 11:30 a.m. – 12:50 p.m.
• 1:00 – 2:20 p.m.
• 2:30 – 3:50 p.m.
• 4:00 – 5:20 p.m.

Classes are not held on June 19, July 4, or the university holiday in observance of these dates.

Final exams are given in the assigned classroom on the Monday and Tuesday following the last Friday of classes. (See final exams below for any classroom changes.)

Proposing a course

To propose a course in the Summer or Winter Session, please discuss the possibility with your chairperson or school director. Courses offered during the Winter and Summer Sessions typically have at least one of the following characteristics:

• Help Cornell students meet degree requirements,
• Are usually overenrolled in the fall or spring,
• Will not be offered in the following year because of faculty leaves or position vacancies,
• Are required by students in other departments,
• Include engaged learning components, and
• Are offered through online learning.

Every course proposed must have a reasonable prospect of attracting an adequate number of students. For most courses, this is approximately ten students.

Although proposals must be submitted through your chairperson or director, we are available to discuss any course ideas you may have at any time. For questions about proposing a course, please contact Chris Hinman at (607) 255-7078 or contact your department course coordinator.

Making changes

Students often plan their spring and fall courses of study and their work schedules around the information available on the Summer and Winter Session websites. Course cancellations or changes in session or time may have a serious effect on their planning and progress through their degree program. Once courses have been announced on the website, they should not be changed unless it is absolutely unavoidable. To request a change in class time, you should first discuss the matter with your department. Class times require the approval of Daniel Kratochvil, Senior Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. Please have your department’s representative contact Chris Hinman with your request.

For Winter Session course formats, see Course Formats above.

New & significantly changed courses

Any courses that have not been previously approved must be submitted to your college’s educational policy committee for its consideration prior to class submission in the CourseLeaf Section Scheduler (CLSS).

Departments and colleges may have other requirements. Please check with your department chairperson.

The Faculty Center

The Faculty Center provides a single-entry point to the tools faculty need to advise students and to view class information (teaching schedule, class rosters, and grading information). The Student Center will provide designated academic administrative staff the ability to access student information to support faculty and students.

Library use

You may request that certain books be placed on reserve in the library for use by your classes. This service should be requested well in advance of the date when the books will be needed. More information can be found on the Cornell University Library website.

Library hours can be found on the Cornell University Library website.

Classroom assignment

Classroom requests are to be submitted with the class proposal through the SCE Course Proposal System. We will process Summer Session classroom assignments in March based on this information. When posted, please carefully review your classroom assignment.

If changes are necessary, notify Chris Hinman (cch224@cornell.edu) in writing of all requested changes as soon as possible as such changes entail a time-consuming manual process.

Also, be sure to post changes in your department.

Classroom security

You should close windows, turn off all lights, and close classroom doors before leaving for the day.

Where will exams be held?

Exams for in-person, on-campus courses will be held in your course classroom unless changed by your instructor.

When will exams be held?

Exam schedules

• Summer Session exam dates: See the Summer Session academic calendar for exam periods. For class-specific exam dates, search the course roster for your class or contact your instructor.

  Note to instructors: Per university policy, in the event students have more than two exams in 24 hours, you are urged to grant requests for a make-up examination. In addition, you must provide accommodations to students who may not have reliable access to an online exam or who are in different time zones. Faculty who need to make accommodations for students or intend to move their exam should communicate with their students in advance to determine the number of conflicts that may be created.

• Winter Session exam date: January 16 or 17, 2026. Final exams will be held on the last day of class (1/16), at a time to be arranged by the instructor and announced the first week of classes. Due to a limited number of class days in Winter Session 2026, exams may be held on Saturday, January 17 if approved, by SCE, prior to start of classes.
• Fall/Spring exam dates

If you are unsure about when your final exam will be held, please contact your instructor or the School of Continuing Education.

When are final projects due?

If a course requires an end-of-class exercise (for example, a paper, project report, final critique, oral presentation, or conference) in lieu of or in addition to a final examination, the nature of the exercise must be made known at the beginning of the semester. If there is no final examination in a course, an announcement must be made to that effect.

A course that requires an end-of-class exercise and does not offer a final examination must allow students at least until the date appearing on the official examination schedule to complete submission of materials associated with the culminating exercise. (For example, a student making a presentation during the last week of classes or during study period will have at least until the scheduled final-exam date to submit a final write-up or equivalent.)

Grading basis

The grading basis for each class may be set as letter (A+ to F), satisfactory/unsatisfactory (S/U), or “student option,” in which case the student may select either letter or S/U as the grading basis for that class.

Students may request to change their grading basis for “student option” classes” prior to the deadline by submitting an electronic add/drop/change request form prior to the deadline or, for currently matriculated students, by making the change in Student Center.

Once the deadline has passed, all requests for grading basis changes must be done via petition to the SCE office and will require instructor approval.

Note: Students from other colleges and universities may not be familiar with the Cornell S/U grading option. You should make it very clear to those who select this option that credit reported with an “S” grade may not easily apply towards their degree. It should also be mentioned, for the benefit of any public school teachers who might be taking the course, that many school boards demand letter or numerical grades if courses are to be credited toward salary increases.

Grade submission

Grades for courses in all sessions or periods must be submitted through Faculty Center.

Grades are to be submitted within 72 hours of the final exam, project, or last day of class.

To access grade rosters in Faculty Center, you must sign up for Cornell’s two-factor authentication service. If you have already signed up for this service, then please proceed in Faculty Center.

For additional grading information

Please visit the Cornell University Registrar website for more information about grading.

Date	Event
January 15, 2026	Grade rosters available in Faculty Center
January 22, 2026	Grades due in Faculty Center by 4:30 p.m.

Date	Event
June 17, 2026	Grade rosters available in Faculty Center
June 24, 2026	Grades due in Faculty Center by 4:30 p.m.

Date	Event
July 9, 2026	Grade rosters available in Faculty Center
July 15, 2026	Grades due in Faculty Center by 4:30 p.m.

Date	Event
July 30, 2026	Grade rosters available in Faculty Center
August 5, 2026	Grades due in Faculty Center by 4:30 p.m.

Date	Event
August 3, 2026	Grade rosters available in Faculty Center
August 7, 2026	Grades due in Faculty Center by 4:30 p.m.

Date	Event
August 3, 2026	Grade rosters available in Faculty Center
August 7, 2026	Grades due in Faculty Center by 4:30 p.m.

Date	Event
One day before the last day of your class	Grade rosters available in Faculty Center
3 business days from end of last academic activity	Grades due in Faculty Center by 4:30 p.m.

Canvas

Most courses are administered through the learning management system Canvas, which allows you to manage digital materials distribution, assignments and course calendars, communications, grading, and other aspects of instruction.

Visit the Cornell Center for Teaching Innovation (CTI) Learning Technologies Resource Library to learn about getting started in Canvas and using the new Rich Content Editor to add content to your course site.

Helping students use Canvas

The Center for Teaching Innovation has created resources to help students learn how to use Canvas. Please consider directing students to these resources, including this helpful video to get them started.

The School regularly promotes courses through the Summer/Winter Session websites, course rosters, emails, posters, postcards, press releases, social media, events, a series of advertisements in The Cornell Daily Sun, and other avenues.

Although we do not generally advertise individual courses because of high costs and limited resources (there are more than 500 classes in the summer/winter catalog), we do routinely group together similar courses (such as “summer-only offerings”) in our advertisements.

We encourage you to consider several ways in which you can increase enrollment in your course:

• Produce flyers promoting your course. Student Agencies, phone (607) 272-2000 x223, will distribute flyers for you for a fee.
• Mention the course to students in your fall and spring classes. Also, ask your colleagues, in their capacity as faculty advisors, to recommend it whenever appropriate and/or allow you to make a short visit to their classes to make an in-person announcement.
• Request that your department and school/college list the course on their websites and social media channels, include the course in their University Catalog listings, and promote it in any related materials.
• Reach out to your college or school communications office for advice.
• Do you or does your course have a website? If so, ask us to link to that site from our online course descriptions.
• Does your department have an email list of students? If so, consider sending these students an email announcement.
• You can submit social media items to socialmedia@cornell.edu for possible posting on Cornell’s Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn pages. Be sure to include a high-quality image.
• Ask past students to share information about the course, if they are willing, through their own social networks.
• If your course might be of interest to staff members, contact your local HR representative and ask if the rep would be willing to send out an email announcement.
• Email a short press release to one of the outlets listed below. Include, at minimum, the course title, credits, description, session, URL for course website, and contact person.
  • The Cornell Daily Sun, 139 W. State St., Ithaca, NY 14850 (news@cornelldailysun.com)
  • Cornell Chronicle, 312 College Ave., Ithaca, NY 14850 (cunews@cornell.edu)
  • The Ithaca Journal, 123 W. State St., Ithaca, NY 14850 (ijnews@gannett.com)
  • Ithaca Times, 109 N. Cayuga St., Ithaca, NY 14850 (editor@Ithacatimes.com)
  • The Ithaca Voice, 102. E. MLK Jr. Street/The Commons, Suite #4, Ithaca, NY 14850 (koconnor@ithacavoice.com)
  • Tompkins Weekly, 3100 N. Triphammer Road, Suite 100 Lansing, NY 14882 (ToddM@VizellaMedia.com)
  • www.14850.com, 757 Warren Road #4233 Ithaca, New York 14852 (today@14850.com)
• Send information about your course to local radio stations:
  • WVBR (93.5 FM)
  • WICB (92 FM—Ithaca College)
  • Cayuga Radio Group
• Promote your course to students in out-of-college departments who may have been closed out of this course during the fall/spring or have had scheduling difficulties. Try flyers, postcards, and email.
• Host an information session about your course and announce it on the Cornell Events Calendar.
• Promote the course to students, faculty members, or professionals outside of Cornell where this course may not be offered and may be useful in helping them meet their curricular or career requirements.