An instructional laboratory for the teaching of intermediate and project-oriented courses in Computer Science (CPS) and Industrial and Engineering Technology (IET) has been established. As a result CPS students are able to get a concrete feeling for abstract concepts introduced in the Data Structures and AI and Machine Learning courses through the medium of programming robotic effectors. These effectors can be used to move chess pieces on a board for example. Students are able to better grasp abstract concepts through the generalization of their experiences in the laboratory. Similarly, IET students are afforded the opportunity to acquire knowledge of how to apply AI techniques in solving factory scheduling and other related problems. Moreover, the affected courses fosters greater interaction among CPS and IET students and their departmental faculty. This interaction is crucial to successful teaching and student research. It is also a positive inducement towards the attraction of new majors from within the university community. The award is being matched by an equal amount from the principal investigator's institution.
