Intro | Truths | |
Scripture | Saints | |
Culture | Worship |
Frequently Asked Questions
- Can Catholic Knowledge run on my iphone? (Kindle, PC, Samsung, etc.)
- What ages/grades is Catholic Knowledge appropriate for?
- Who developed Catholic Knowledge?
- Can I transfer Catholic Knowledge Medals from one device to another?
- What is Catholic Knowledge's Privacy Policy?
- Is there a Teachers' Guide for using Catholic Knowledge in a group setting?
- Is there an online 'Catholic Civ' course associated with Catholic Knowledge?
- Is there a Catholic Knowledge Bee where students compete in person?
- I found a problem with one of the Questions. How do I report this?
Can Catholic Knowledge run on my iphone? (Kindle, PC, laptop, Samsung, etc.)
Catholic Knowledge has been developed to run on almost all platforms, including Apple iphones and tablets, Android based devices, and Microsoft PCs. It has now been released to all three platforms. To install Catholic Knowledge you must go to the appropriate App store on your device and search for "Catholic Knowledge". The following links provide information about Catholic Knowledge but the you must open the 'App Store' icon on your actual device in order to install the program.
- Google Play Store for Android tablets and smartphones.
- iOS App Store for Apple iPads and iPhones.
- Microsoft Store for Windows PCs and laptops.
We cannot guarantee the program will work on all older platforms, since it was developed for recent versions of the Android and iOS operating systems. For example, it works on recent versions of the Amazon 'Kindle', but not on older versions. However, it has been tested on many different devices and operating systems.
What ages/grades is Catholic Knowledge appropriate for?
Catholic Knowledge was designed for older students and young adults, but it has many "novice" level questions that may be accessible to younger players. We focused on older students because 1) historical and cultural topics require a certain pre-existing breadth of knowledge, 2) there are already many good religious education program for younger students, and 3) computer based programs or more fitting for mature students.
The program is intended to engage relatively uncatechized students as well as those who have already had years of religious instruction so it includes both beginner and advanced questions. However some categories, such as history and culture, include questions that are likely to be beyond the comprehension of novices. That said, motivated Middle School students have done extremely well in all categories with a little study and persistance.
Who developed Catholic Knowledge?
Catholic Knowledge was developed by a homeschool family with an expansive interest in history, Christian culture, and a background in programming. Before creating 'Catholic Knowledge' we spent many years digitizing children's histories, maintaining a curriculum-based website, teaching at homeschool co-ops, and drilling our own students in all manner of Catholic truths and trivia.
We developed the first prototype of Catholic Knowledge over ten years ago with the idea of "gamifying" some of the diverse information we had gathered about Christian history, doctrine, and traditions. Starting with a few dozen reference texts and a database of over 1000 questions, we were able to create a Catholic Quiz game suitable for our own students without too much trouble. We continued to add questions and study resources over the years, and eventually decided to develop a 'real' app.
Unfortunately, developing an app that would run on multiple platforms and was solid enough for the general public was an enormous undertaking, far more ambitious than our original effort. It has taken several years of continuous effort to get to the point that we believe Catholic Knowledge is ready for public release and we are continuing to work on improvements.
Can I transfer Catholic Knowledge Medals from one device to another?
At this time it is not possible to transfer scores or medals from one device to another. Player scores are stored permanently on the device on which Catholic Knowledge was installed. It is possible to create multiple accounts on one device, change the name on an account at any time, and to add and remove onself from the leaderboard. But moving medals is not possible.
What is Catholic Knowledge's privacy policy?
We collect no personal information from users and we encourage players to use an alias rather than any identifying information when posting on our leaderboard. We allow users to post their scores on a public board but do not facilitate any communication or sharing of information. We have a privacy policy because it is required by law, but since we collect no information and have no time, resources, or intention of sharing information we don't have, we would say that our privacy policy statement is somewhat overkill.
It there a Teachers' Guide for using Catholic Knowledge in a group setting?
The Catholic Knowledge Quiz game can be used to supplement high school level courses on morality, apologetics, history, or scripture, or it can be used as the basis of a survey course that combines all topics. The Catholic Knowledge quiz game was developed in conjuction with a four semester "Catholic Civilization" course that cycled through all forty subtopics over a two year period. The program has also been used as an interactive activity for high school youth groups.
These are just a few ways Catholic Knowledge can be used in a group setting. The program was designed with the needs of homeschoolers and youth group leaders in mind and we created a Resources for Instructors page to provide suggestions for group leaders.
Is there an online 'Catholic Civ' course associated with Catholic Knowledge?
The Catholic Civ course we taught took the highly unusual approach of teaching selected units on history, culture, doctrine, worship, and scriptures during the same semester. Our students really enjoyed this approach, but it is not what most people expect in a religion class. Most conventional religion classes focus only on a single topic (history, morals, etc.) for a whole semester.
Unfortunately, we don't teach online courses. But the course we did teach relied heavily on short videos, including those suggested on various resource pages. We have other resources available include 'power point' presentations and would be happy to share them with anyone serious about teaching such a class on their own. A syllabus for the Catholic Civ course is here, and we can be contacted at troth@heritage-history.com for more information.
Is there a Catholic Knowledge Bee where students compete in person?
The only program we are aware of that is similar to a Catholic Knowledge Bee is the Roman Catholic Challenge competition, held annually in Oregon. We have incorporated some of their questions into our program. We believe such a program would be very good for Catholic youth groups, since competition helps motivate many students to expand their knowledge of the faith. If you are aware of any other Catholic Knowledge Bees, let us know, and we will post this information.
I found a problem with one of the Questions. How do I report this?
We have worked hard to create a database of high quality questions on hundreds of subtopics, but getting them all perfect is a constant challenge. Types of errors we have found include typos and mis-spellings, duplicates, and illogical as well as contested answers. We are open to fixing or revising all sorts of questions and welcome input. If you have any issues with Catholic Knowledge questions please report them to troth$heritage-history.com.