Biochemistry students' understanding of enzyme‐substrate interactions

Enzyme catalysis is a fundamental concept that biochemistry students must use to reason throughout discussions of kinetics, metabolism, regulation, and molecular biology. However, we found it difficult to measure student understanding of enzyme catalysis because students have difficulty with understanding how enzymes and substrates interact with one another. Qualitative interviews using representations of both theoretical models and an actual enzyme‐substrate system were conducted to investigate students' understanding of enzyme‐substrate interactions. The Enzyme‐Substrate Interactions Concept Inventory was subsequently developed based on misconceptions uncovered during the qualitative interviews. Student misconceptions and quantitative data from the Enzyme‐Substrate Interactions Concept Inventory will be discussed.