Apr 16, 2010 8:33:11 AM

Faculty athletics representatives at NCAA schools have begun administering the 2010 Growth, Opportunities, Aspirations and Learning of Students in college (GOALS) survey to select teams at their institutions, providing a voice for their student-athletes.

Completed surveys are due at the national office by May 31.

GOALS is the most comprehensive national survey of the college student-athlete experience and an important source of data for NCAA policymakers within Divisions I, II and III. The 2010 version is a follow-up to the original study conducted in 2006.

The broad-based study covers current student-athletes' athletics, academic and social experiences. The GOALS study is a companion to the SCORE (Study of College Outcomes and Recent Experiences) study that focuses on former student-athletes.

GOALS also covers how student-athletes were recruited, how their experience met expectations regarding health and well-being, and what time commitments they devoted to their athletics endeavors.

FARs administer the survey, and each school is requested to survey one to three teams, randomly selected by the NCAA.

The study is expected to produce about 20,000 responses.

Results from the 2006 study have factored in several policy decisions in all three divisions. For example, time-demands data from GOALS informed discussion of the Division II Life in Balance initiatives passed at this year's Convention. Data from GOALS also served as the key research basis for the Division I FLAG program, a significant effort to identify and support academically at-risk student-athletes.