Enzyme kinetics and the impacts of inhibitors on the enzyme's maximal velocity and ability to bind substrates are important topics in cell biology and biochemistry. However, these topics can be difficult for students to grasp when instructed using a traditional lecture format. Teaching biological concepts using physical models has been shown to improve to student comprehension and engagement with the topic. We have developed a pre-lab activity that uses plastic building bricks and student "enzymes" to expose students to these concepts prior to conducting enzyme assays at the bench. Small groups of students take turns acting as an enzyme that catalyzes a hydrolysis reaction with increasing substrate concentration in the presence and absence of a competitive inhibitor. Students graph brick breaking rate data and make observations about the effect of changing parameters on key metrics. We conclude the activity with a class discussion on their observations. According to survey data, our students show an increase in the ability to answer conceptual and graphical questions correctly after completing the activity and corresponding material. Moreover, the majority of students thought that the activity was moderately or greatly helpful at increasing their understanding of key concepts. This kinesthetic active learning approach provides an engaging and fun way to introduce students to modeling enzyme kinetics and is adaptable to any class or laboratory setting.

Primary image: Breaking Bricks: A Hands-on Model of Enzyme Kinetics and Inhibition. Enzyme-catalyzed hydrolysis of a disaccharide into two monosaccharides is modeled by 2x2 plastic building bricks, with students’ hands representing the enzyme.