#GOALS Program Evaluation

Measuring the Impact of the #GOALS Program

The #GOALS program of the Ascension Foundation is a one day interactive educational experience for middle school students to inspire them to Go Out and Love Science,

The Ascension Foundation engaged and sponsored the Lucy Family Institute for Data & Society’s data team to conduct an evaluation research study to measure the continuous impact of the #GOALS program in our communities.

The #GOALS research study team at Notre Dame seeks to enhance the impact of social change programs by utilizing gamification to improve data collection accuracy and augment evaluation while enhancing interest and participation in healthcare careers through gamified experiential learning.

In the evaluation of the #GOALS program, the research study team at the Lucy Family Institute developed and continues to enhance a custom #GOALS medical game on the Roblox platform. In this interactive, game-based platform, middle school students explore healthcare careers while providing data on engagement, interest, and self-efficacy in medical roles through surveys embedded within the platform.

Why Evaluate #GOALS?

Innovate in gamified learning
Augment survey data collection
Amplify social change impact
Advance experiential learning evaluation

The #GOALS Evaluation Vision

Transforming ‘Maybe I Can’ into ‘I Will’ in Healthcare Careers.

#GOALS is a program of the Ascension Foundation and Ascension Community Impact, part of our shared initiative to build a future healthcare workforce that includes all communities. Our focus is to improve data accuracy in measuring social change programs and utilize gamification and social interaction programs to amplify their impact.

#GOALS inspires middle-school students to Go Out And Love Science, guiding them towards healthcare careers through the following:

Schools’ Pre and Post Event Surveys
- Measures changes in students’ interest, confidence, and motivation before and after the program
#GOALS Live Event
- A one-day experiential program with hands-on medical simulations, interactive STEM activities, and mentorship from healthcare professionals
GOALS game on the Roblox Platform -Educational and Data Collection
- An interactive, game-based platform where students explore healthcare careers while also providing data on engagement, interest, and self-efficacy
School Engagement
- Collaboration with schools and local partners to support participation and ensure access for students from underserved communities

Results & Impact

In 2025, the evaluation incorporated both paper-based surveys and the game-based tool to assess the impact of the #GOALS live event. Findings demonstrated that the game-based approach captured greater and more consistent changes in student motivation, confidence, and interest in healthcare careers.

Building on this validation, the Lucy Family Institute is expanding the use of the Roblox-based platform as a primary tool for data collection before and after the #GOALS experience, demonstrating how innovative, student-centered technology can enhance both learning and research.