Abstract 1706 Leveraging Desmos in the Biochemistry Curriculum to Improve Visual Literacy

A biochemistry course is filled with images of molecules, graphs, and schematics. Students need practice with these images in order to properly understand their meanings and become visually literate. Desmos, a freely-available web-based classroom response system built for the math community, provides a means for student visual-literacy training as it seamlessly includes manipulable graphs and non-linear data fitting into activities. The objective is to harness these capabilities of the software and apply them to biochemical content. Thus, activities relating to biochemical content have been built in Desmos, used by students to hone visual-literacy skills, and evaluated by students in regards to confidence with the content. (Concordia University Wisconsin/Ann Arbor IRB, Mequon, WI deemed the study #IRB-FY24-139 exempt. It is in Helsinki compliance.) Graphing and non-linear data fitting feature prominently in activities based on binding interactions and enzyme kinetics. Students report an increased level of confidence with reversible enzyme inhibition concepts after completing an activity focused on changes to the Michaelis-Menten graph that occur in the presence of different inhibitors. The activity culminates in non-linear curve fitting of data in the absence and presence of an inhibitor, assignment of the mode of inhibition, and determination of the affinity of the inhibitor for the enzyme. These findings illustrate that Desmos can be utilized as a tool to provide meaningful exercises wherein students improve their visual literacy.