Affordability Counts
Are the materials eligible for Affordability Counts?
Affordability Counts is a principal reporting arm for UCF’s Affordable Instructional Materials (AIM) initiative, Affordability Counts serves as the mechanism by which faculty can earn recognition for their efforts to make learning more affordable.
To get started, 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 will either be contacted by a member of the AIM team or decide to submit their course(s) / course material(s) independently for consideration into the Affordability Counts program.
The submissions(s) will be evaluated according to 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, et al.).
- “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).
- Therefore, 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.
