Tinto (1997) explored a special program of Seattle Central Community College. Called the Coordinated Studies Program (CSP), its aim was to give its students a different kind of classroom experience by linking courses to one another based on some theme rather than the traditional system of separated, individual courses with no significant links to other courses. The other aspect of the CSP is fostering a collaborative environment by having the students learn interdependently. Still in the realm of student persistence, this study redirects attention to the importance of the classroom experience in terms of retaining students. While a great deal of effort in student retention programs deal with the issues outside the classroom (student affairs), this focuses on the issues within the classroom. Research into the CSP showed significant differences in terms of satisfaction with the learning environment, as students enrolled in the special program had a greater amount of satisfaction than those enrolled in the conventional course curriculum.