“Affordability Counts was created as a direct response to the increasing costs of textbooks in higher education. The program recognizes faculty who take steps in their courses to advance affordability across Florida state universities and colleges.”
To be a part of it, faculty submit a course to have its required instructional material(s) reviewed. If the total cost of the instructional material(s) is less than or equal to $20 per credit hour (per course), the Affordability Counts medallion will be given to the faculty to place on their course home page, syllabus, or wherever they prefer, and their course will be added to the list of low-cost courses on the Affordability Counts website.
The Review Process
Faculty can submit their course(s)/course material(s) for consideration into the Affordability Counts program. At this time, we currently recommend submitting your course(s) each semester it is taught for archival purposes. We are currently looking into an automated process so you would not have to manually submit your courses each time.
The submission(s) are evaluated by the following criteria:
- The total cost of required course material(s) must not exceed $20 per credit hour (per course).
- “Required” material(s) represent any item(s) classified as such in the UCF Bookstore catalog (e.g., textbooks, courseware/technology, lab materials, etc.).
- “Required” material(s) represent any item(s) classified as such in the UCF Bookstore catalog (e.g., textbooks, courseware/technology, lab materials, etc.).
- “Total cost” represents the full market value for the required material(s) at the bookstore (or externally if the bookstore does not carry the item).
- If faculty submit the ISBN for an eTextbook and that is the only option for students to purchase, the value of the eTextbook will be used in the calculation. However, if faculty use the ISBN for a new print textbook, that will be the cost associated with the materials.
Additional notes:
- If the required course materials are made freely available to students through the UCF Libraries, no dollar amount will be attributed to the materials.
- If the students are asked to purchase the required course material directly from a vendor other than the UCF Bookstore, a link to that material (and its cost) should be provided on the “Submit a Course” form.
If a course’s required materials do not meet the above standards for the Affordability Counts program, an email will be sent in reply to the submission to request more information.
The faculty member can then either reevaluate their course materials and resubmit or take no further action.
Stay Connected
Interested in learning more about AIM? Sign up for the Affordable Instructional Materials email distribution list for reminders about upcoming deadlines, upcoming events, and helpful resources regarding this initiative.
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