Objectives:
1. Identify one approach for collaborating across departments to design and build a shared First Year Experience (FYE).
2. Discuss what that approach might look like at your institution.

As institutions look for ways to address inclusivity and equity, faculty developers are often called upon to facilitate these efforts. In the case of the Long Island University Post Campus, this call manifested in a redesign of an existing freshman seminar. The instructional designer and faculty built the entire 14-week course in the online LMS, complete with free course materials and multimedia to intentionally weave in themes of college readiness, critical thinking, ethical reasoning, respect for diversity, service learning, and student leadership. Post 101 is currently being taught in 40 sections by academic faculty, staff from the Student Affairs Office, and undergraduate peer mentors.

By telling our story and asking audience members to brainstorm questions and approaches for how they might create their own FYE, we hope to uncover the many ways that instructional designers, faculty, and staff can work together to increase opportunities for student engagement and feelings of validation in the academic space, while creating an opportunity to discuss the critical importance of respect for all people.