This case study forms a foundation for understanding the drivers for successful online learning within a constructivist paradigm. It investigates whether Chinese international students completing a degree had achieved a level of independence necessary to succeed in this context. It found that these students had not achieved the independence necessary to succeed in the online constructivist context at the level they had reached on this particular course. Future research should investigate international and domestic students at different levels within a variety of courses to see if these findings are unique to this particular course and level only. It should also investigate the mediating impact of a tutor on student independence.