OCE Planning Resources

Planning Information for Programs Supported by OCE

Summer Session Scheduling / Block Scheduling

Summer Session Scheduling / Block Scheduling

2026 Term Dates

  • 9-Week Courses [Weeks 1-9] June 23 – August 21
  • 6-Week Courses [Weeks 1-6] June 23 – July 31 
  • 4-Week Courses [Weeks 1-4 or 5-8] June 23 – July 17 or July 21 – August 14
    For sequenced courses
  • 3-Week Courses [Weeks 1-3, 4-6, or 7-9] June 23 – July 10 or July 13 – July 31 or August 3 – August 21
    For sequenced courses
  • Travel (Global Learning and Study USA)
    Travel courses should maintain their travel schedule but consider these timelines when scheduling the travel component of their course.

Section Codes in Banner

Section codes in Banner reflect the part of term as well as the course modality. Please ensure your summer session course’s section code correctly reflects these two pieces of information. You will find the section code in the Banner screen SSASECT:

The section code options are:

  • S01– Six-week Face-to-Face or Hybrid 
  • SOL– Six-week Online
  • N01– Nine-week Face-to-Face or Hybrid
  • NOL– Nine-week Online
  • X01– A short course that starts at the beginning of the quarter, Face-to-Face or Hybrid
  • XOL– A short course that starts at the beginning of the quarter, Online
  • L01– A short course that starts after the beginning of the quarter, Face-to-Face or Hybrid
  • LOL- A short course that starts after the beginning of the quarter, Online

Courses with multiple sections will have a number larger than one. Please note off-campus and travel courses use different section codes.

Course Dates (Part of Term)

To ensure a smooth registration and Summer Session experience for students, academic departments and programs are asked to adhere to the standard Summer Schedule scheduling options (6-week and 9-week terms), unless courses are part of a sequenced course option.
 
Deviating from the established summer session term lengths can cause unexpected issues related to:
  • Student registration scheduling conflicts: Short and intensive courses can create barriers for students who are planning to take multiple courses during the summer.
  • Financial aid eligibility issues: Non-standard term dates can cause complications for student aid eligibility.
  • Course evaluations: Western’s course evaluation system is built around standard term lengths; variation can cause delays and/or issues with the course evaluation process.
For travel courses (global or domestic) that have dates that fall outside of the established term dates, review of the schedule and approval from the Registrar’s Office are required before scheduling.

Class Time Options (Block Schedule for 9- and 6- Week Courses)

The Block Scheduling Policy was approved by the Provost’s Council on October 14, 2003

There will likely be no class meeting on Friday, July 3, 2026. (unconfirmed)

Number of Meeting Days

To calculate contact hours for courses not following the Block Schedule:
(# of class days x # of minutes per class)/50 minutes = # of contact hours)

One contact hour is equivalent to 50 minutes

Six-Week Session

  • Mondays: 5
  • Tuesday: 6
  • Wednesday: 6
  • Thursday: 6
  • Friday: 6

Nine-Week Session

  • Mondays: 8
  • Tuesday: 9
  • Wednesday: 9
  • Thursday: 9
  • Friday: 9

Scheduling Guidelines

  • All courses must conform to ACC’s policies and guidelines.
  • All classes begin on the hour (8, 9, 10, etc.) regardless of credit number or length of time
  • Classes more than one hour in length begin on even hours only (8, 10, 12, 14, etc.)