Dr. Amanda Walden, Lecturer in the School of Global Health Management and Informatics, has made a significant and consistent effort to reduce course material costs for students at UCF.
She has adopted and created affordable and open educational resources (OER) across several courses, including HSC 3537, HIM 4676, HIM 3006, and HIM 4508. Her commitment to leveraging OER, library-sourced textbooks, and custom-designed content has not only reduced costs for students but also maintained high academic standards and fostered student success.
Amanda’s innovative approach extends beyond affordability. In Medical Terminology (HSC 3537), students gradually build their knowledge week by week through a variety of learning methods — including textbook readings, videos, and interactive activities — culminating in graded assignments that continuously reinforce prior content. Similarly, in Quality Management (HIM 4508), students engage in semester-long scenarios that progressively build on key concepts, ensuring deep understanding through applied learning.
For her creative efforts and unwavering commitment to reducing textbook costs while enhancing student learning, Dr. Amanda Walden has been selected as the 2025 AIM High Impact Individual Legacy Award recipient.
In using Affordable Instructional Materials, there was no statistical difference in student performance or outcomes, so students were able to perform just as well but incurred the added benefit of reduced costs.
According to Dr. Amanda Walden, students have responded positively to the use of affordable materials, with a 2021 research project in her Medical Terminology course revealing that savings were most often used for essential needs like food, housing, and education. The study also found that using affordable materials had no negative impact on student performance, demonstrating that cost savings can be achieved without compromising academic success.
Through this work, students have saved approximately $1,621,108.20 since 2019 in the following courses: HSC 3537, HIM4508, HIM4676, and HIM 3006.
UCF Librarians, Lily Dubach, Penny Beile, Sara Duff, and Rich Gause as well as Instructional Designer, Sue Bauer, from the Center for Distributed Learning were instrumental in their support.
Dr. Amanda Walden (Left), Dr. Timothy Letzring (Right)
Resources
Materia – Chapter 2 – Jeopardy: 3537 – Chapter 2 Jeopardy Enigma | Materia
Materia – Chapter 2 – Sort it out: 3537 – Chapter 2 Sort it Out Sort It Out! | Materia
Materia – Chapter 4 – Sequencer: 3537 – Chapter 4 Sequencer – Body Structural Organization Sequencer | Materia
Materia – Chapter 4 – Labeling: 3537 – Chapter 4 Labeling – Regions Labeling | Materia