1 - What is it?
The Affordability Counts program was created as a direct response to the increasing costs of textbooks in higher education. Florida International University’s Online team established the initiative to recognize faculty who actively make changes to their courses in an effort to advance affordability across state universities and colleges.
2 – How does it work?
To participate in Affordability Counts, faculty first submit courses with materials costing students no more than $60 in total out-of-pocket expenses. After, a committee reviews the syllabus to confirm that the total cost of course materials is under $60. Faculty who meet the target price and selection criteria then receive a recognition, the ‘Affordability Counts’ medallion. Instructors can display their medallion on their courses in a learning management system or on their course syllabus. For the benefit of students, we include the course on our list of low cost courses while also adding the specific low cost course materials to our catalog of affordable resources for faculty.
3 – Why explore?
In an effort to share the initiative’s success, we encourage faculty across Florida to explore our Affordability Counts website. Faculty are free to adopt references to low-cost materials or submit a low-cost course of their own to earn a place in our listings. More importantly, we urge students to use this website to find medallion-awarded courses and ensure they know about all the cost-effective options available to them as they pursue their education.