Civics Literacy Proficiency
In June 2021, the Purdue University Board of Trustees adopted a civics literacy graduation requirement for undergraduates, including all transfer students. This requirement applies to all undergraduate students who enter Purdue University Northwest in Fall 2022 or any subsequent semester.
The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities were created to enhance the educational experience of PNW students and graduate a more informed citizenry.
Activities and Outcomes
The activities and required tests to establish Civics Literacy Proficiency will build and increase your civics knowledge.
The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities will:
- Increase your understanding of important contemporary political issues.
- Identify opportunities to grow your engagement in American politics.
- Expand your awareness of and options for civic participation.
- The civics literacy program is a graduation requirement for all undergraduate students beginning in the fall of 2022. Once the activities are completed, a notation of Civics Literacy Proficiency will be placed on a student’s transcript.
- Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are accessed via Brightspace. Students for whom Civics Literacy Proficiency is a graduation requirement will automatically see the Civics module in their Brightspace home page as well as a notation in their myPNWplan audits.
Test Resources
PNW Civics Knowledge Test resources for students:
- Overview of the Purdue Civics Knowledge Test
- Civics Literacy Study and Resource Guide
- Sample questions from the Purdue Civics Knowledge Test
Educational Activity Options
To obtain the Civics Literacy Proficiency, students will complete an educational activity as part of their chosen Civics Literacy Pathway and pass the PNW Civics knowledge test. There are three different pathways:
Attend six approved Civics Events and pass the required exam. Qualified events will be listed in Brightspace and notated in the university calendar on the PNW website.
Complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material and pass the required exam.
Complete one of the approved courses and pass the required exam
- COM 21000 Debating Public Issues
- COM 31200 Rhetoric in the Western World
- HIST 12100 Civic Responsibility
- HIST 15100 American History To 1877
- HIST 15200 United States Since 1877
- HIST 38200 American Constitutional History
- POL 10100 American Government and Politics
- POL 31500 Public Opinion and Elections
- POL 34600 Law and Society
- POL 35400 Civil Liberties and the Constitution
- POL 46100 US Constitutional Law I
Once the activities are completed, a notation of Civics Literacy Proficiency will be placed on a student’s transcript.
You should see an update to your DegreeWorks plan within 10 to 15 business days. If you do not, please contact pnwcivics@pnw.edu.
Submit Your Civics Event
The campus community is encouraged to submit their events with a focus on civics to the Civics Literacy Proficiency page. Student organizations, colleges, departments and other groups looking to submit their events will do so through an Event Submission form that will be available soon. To be listed as a Civics Literacy Proficiency event, the event must be designed to address one or more of these:
- Increase understanding of important contemporary political issues.
- Grow student engagement in American politics.
- Expand awareness of processes and options for civic participation.
- Increase civics knowledge.
Questions may be directed to pnwcivics@pnw.edu
PREVIEW THE EVENT SUBMISSION FORM
FAQs
Requirement Questions
Students will complete the Proficiency by passing a test of civic literacy (currently undergoing validation and analysis), and one of three paths:
- Civics event path: Attend six approved Civics Events and pass the required exam. Qualified events will be
listed in Brightspace and notated in the university calendar on the PNW website. - Civics literacy podcast path: Completing 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship and Engagement that use C-SPAN material.
- Approved course path: Complete one of the approved courses and pass the required exam
- COM 21000 Debating Public Issues
- COM 31200 Rhetoric in the Western World
- HIST 12100 Civic Responsibility
- HIST 15100 American History To 1877
- HIST 15200 United States Since 1877
- HIST 38200 American Constitutional History
- POL 10100 American Government and Politics
- POL 31500 Public Opinion and Elections
- POL 34600 Law and Society
- POL 35400 Civil Liberties and the Constitution
- POL 46100 US Constitutional Law I
The Civics Literacy Graduation requirement applies to all Purdue University Northwest students who enter PNW on or after the fall 2022 catalog term, including transfer students. Students enrolled prior to the fall 2022 catalog term do not have to complete the requirement but may choose to do so on a voluntary basis.
The Civics Literacy Proficiency program was created with the goal of adding to the educational experience of PNW students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry.
The desired learning outcomes include:
- Increasing student understanding of important contemporary political issues.
- Identifying opportunities to grow one’s engagement in American politics.
- Raising student awareness of, and options for, civic participation.
To meet the degree requirement for the Civics Knowledge Test, students will test in person at the Testing Services Center at Hammond or Westville.
Students should complete Civics Literacy activities and the Civics Knowledge Test as early as possible, as demand will increase with each subsequent incoming class and it may become more difficult to schedule at a convenient time. Failure to complete this requirement in a timely manner may delay graduation.
The Civics Knowledge Test is a 90-minute exam consisting of 50 questions. Students may take the test as many times as they need in order to achieve a passing score of at least 80%.
Testing Center Policies apply during exam administration.
SCHEDULE YOUR CIVICS LITERACY EXAM
More information about how to complete the requirement and register for the test is available on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in the MyPNW portal and on the Testing Center website.
The Civics Literacy exam can be taken remotely ONLY by RN-BSN (fully online) students. Students in all other programs must test in-person at the PNW testing centers.
RN-BSN students may test remotely; no scheduling is required to test. Take the test at your convenience through the BrightSpace course for Civics Literacy. The name of the exam is Distance Learners Only Civics Knowledge Test- Requires Respondus LockDown Browser.
Respondus Lockdown is a custom browser that locks down the testing environment within BrightSpace, meaning you are unable to navigate to other sites or applications while testing. Respondus will need to download to your computer prior to starting the Civics Literacy Exam. Once available, you can complete your test.
If you have issues with Respondus, please use the Respondus Lockdown Browser guide. You may also contact the Office of Instructional Technology at (219) 989-2888, oit@pnw.edu or visit the Office of Instructional Technology website.
Components of the Civics Literacy requirement can be completed in any order and will update as “completed” in your MyPNW Plan in the PNW portal once successfully completed.
Exceptions, Exclusions and Graduate Requirements
The intent is for all incoming undergraduate students, including transfer students, from catalog term fall 2022, to complete this requirement at some point during their time at PNW. Therefore, it will be required to graduate.
There are no exceptions to this graduation requirement identified at this time.
Once the required test and one of the three options have been completed, a designation of “Civics Literacy Proficiency” will be placed on a student’s transcript in the semester in which activities were completed. You should see an update to your DegreeWorks plan within 10 to 15 business days. If you do not, please contact pnwcivics@pnw.edu.
One of the options for satisfaction (plus a required test) is the completion of a course on an approved list. These courses may be completed at PNW. Additionally, AP credit earned for these courses will count for completion. Courses transferred in as equivalent to a PNW course will also count toward completion. Questions about transfer credit may be directed to: njelizal@pnw.edu.
Students can monitor their completion of the graduation requirement on their degree audit in myPNWPlan.
Grade Requirements, Technical Issues and Submitting Events
Yes, students may retake the test as many times as needed to achieve successful completion. A study guide for the exam is available.
Please contact: pnwcivics@pnw.edu
Please contact Connie Doebele cdoebele@purdue.edu
Register your event through an Event Submission Form and ask for it to be counted for Civics Literacy Proficiency. A review team will approve or deny your request.
A Civics Literacy resource guide is available here.