WMU News

Lindquist co-writes first online, interactive text

Jan. 17, 2004

KALAMAZOO--A Western Michigan University professor has published what is believed to be the first online, truly interactive consumer behavior text.

Dr. Jay D. Lindquist, professor of marketing, and Dr. M. Joseph Sirgy of Virginia Tech, co-wrote "Shopper, Buyer and Consumer Behavior: Theory, Marketing Applications and Public Policy Implications." The book, available in both paperback and online form, was published late last year by Atomic Dog Publishing.

Students using the text and online learning tools need little or no training and no special hardware or software. They also do not need high-speed Internet access, making it easy for students around the world to access the text using a password from any wireless or wired location any day or time.

Students can use an interactive study guide, practice quizzes, "point-and-click" glossary and key terms matching and have access to customized content provided by the instructor. They also can take notes during class directly into the text as topics are covered, while quick checks at the end of each section assess comprehension. There are a number of interactive figures and animation in the text, and students can access enrichment materials at the click of a mouse.

Last fall, Lindquist, Sirgy and Dr. Dana-Nicoleta Lascu of the University of Richmond published a paperback casebook to accompany the text. The text itself also is available in paperback form and those who buy the 578-page text for $49.95 automatically are given access to the online version. At $24.95, the online option is about one-fourth the normal cost of such a text.

"This may be the first such online text published by a WMU faculty member," Lindquist says.

People can check it out, along with online texts from other disciplines, by visiting the Web at <www.atomicdog.com>.

Media contact: Mark Schwerin, 269 387-8400, mark.schwerin@wmich.edu


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