Essential Microbiology

Sascha McKeon (1984-Present) was born and raised on the island of Kaua'i, Hawai'i, before her academic career took her to the continental US and culminated in the receipt of her doctorate in Biomedical Science from SUNY-Albany in New York, with a specialty in immunology and infectious disease. Sascha has been teaching at Blue Mountain Community College in Eastern Oregon, since 2012 and considers herself a pioneer of active learning and Open Education Resources.  She teaches face-to-face, hybrid, and Quality Matters certified online courses for both majors and non-majors alike while serving as part of the executive board of their faculty union.

Her first book, "Essential Microbiology," was written as part of a "textbook affordability" program, offering students in her course a comprehensive and lab-based class at a 1/3 of the cost. This textbook revolutionized the didactic pedagogy of her class, making the material more hands-on and engaging for students. By consolidating concepts into short "big picture" excerpts, students found the content more accessible and engaging as each chapter was paired with hands-on labs and focused laboratory techniques and protocols.  Students went from completing 8 labs in a term to 16 different themed explorations, including over 40 clinical lab procedures.