{"id":150904,"date":"2026-02-16T14:00:18","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T19:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904//?p=150904"},"modified":"2026-02-25T12:51:28","modified_gmt":"2026-02-25T17:51:28","slug":"ucfs-commitment-to-affordable-learning","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904///news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904//www.ucf.edu/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904//news/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904//ucfs-commitment-to-affordable-learning/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904//","title":{"rendered":"Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2019s Commitment to Affordable Learning"},"content":{"rendered":"
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A college education should provide lifelong benefits /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2014 not lifelong debt./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

At Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½, that belief extends beyond tuition costs to the often-overlooked costs that add up fast: textbooks, access codes and digital platforms that can cost hundreds of dollars per course./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

Faced with those expenses, students make compromises. Buy the materials or pay for essentials. Get the book late /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2014 or not at all. Those choices can jeopardize academic success before classes even begin./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

Through the Affordable Instructional Materials (AIM) initiative, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ is supporting faculty in replacing those obstacles with free or low-cost instructional materials, ensuring students start each semester prepared to succeed academically./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

And the impact is undeniable./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

Since 2019, AIM has saved Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ students over $50 million in instructional materials costs /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2014 money that can go toward expenses such as housing, groceries and transportation./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

A University-Wide Effort/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

AIM isn/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2019t the work of a single office or program. It/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2019s a university-wide collaboration that brings together the Division of Digital Learning, Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Libraries, the Office of the Provost and Academic Affairs, the Faculty Center for Teaching and Learning, the Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ Bookstore and other university stakeholders /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2014 all aligned around one shared goal: support faculty so that they can better support students./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

In 2025 alone, 18,878 course sections /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2014 representing 76.5% of all sections offered /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2014 utilized low- or no-cost course materials./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

Formally established in 2019 under the provost’s sponsorship, AIM was created to bring structure and cohesion to affordability efforts already happening across campus. What emerged is a strategic, student-centered movement that proves affordability, innovation and academic excellence aren/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2019t competing priorities, but complementary ones./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u201cOur faculty are leading in ways that make access real for students,/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u201d says Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs John Buckwalter. /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u201cThe numbers tell one part of the story, but behind every savings figure is a student whose experience is shaped by faculty care, creativity and commitment. That/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2019s the kind of impact that lasts and is worth investing in./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u201d/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

At its core, AIM focuses on efforts in four areas: First day, open educational resources, library-sourced materials and affordability counts. Together, these efforts remove blocks to required educational content while giving faculty the flexibility to design courses that are more interactive, accessible and connected to real-world relevance./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

In practice, that means more dynamic learning experiences /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2014 curated readings, videos, case studies and instructor-created materials that meet students where they are./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

Honoring Faculty Advancing Affordable Learning/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

That work was celebrated on Feb. 3 during the 2026 AIM High Impact Awards, which recognized faculty and staff across Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ who are committed to keeping course materials affordable for students./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

The awards do more than acknowledge past efforts /news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2014 they highlight what/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2019s possible and encourage more faculty to participate. This year, 1,519 faculty members were honored, the most ever recognized in a single calendar year, signaling just how deeply AIM has taken hold across Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

Award nominations are grounded in real outcomes and incorporate student feedback and impact stories. Faculty may be nominated by peers or self-nominate, with categories honoring use of affordable instructional materials for more than two years (Legacy) or fewer than two years (Rising). Students across Â鶹ӳ»­´«Ã½ nominate faculty members for the Knights/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2019 Choice Award based on their courses and experience, and the nominees are evaluated by officers of the Student Government Association./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n

Read on to learn more about the outstanding work of this year/news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/u2019s honorees./news/wp-json/wp/v2/posts/150904/n