To demonstrate the power of enzymatic reactions in cells, students take on the role of an enzyme that breaks down the ‘molecules’ pictured below. Their thumbs and first two fingers on each hand represent the active site of the enzyme. In a given time limit, blindfolded students ‘react’ with the substrate molecules by picking them up from the table and, in a similar manner as an actual enzyme, distort the shape of the molecule with the result that the complex three-component molecule is broken down into two product molecules (orange piece and blue/light blue piece). In this exercise, students investigate how concentration affects the number of reactions as well as different ways of regulating enzymatic activity, including allosteric regulation and competitive inhibition.
With these games and simulations, I’m often surprised at what students find interesting and what not. I recently had a student who hadn’t shown much enthusiasm for the activities so far in the term yet became so animated in his role of the enzyme that he kept repeating the exercises in an attempt to beat his previous score on the number of reactions performed. Because of his reaction, I’m adding a leaderboard for the next iteration of the exercise to see how it motivates students.
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