In the current climate of global international education, overseas student integration and difficulties in adjusting into the academic life of the host country are often posited as personal failures. However, the categorization of international students is premised on them not being active subjects in the curriculum and the ways in which they can contribute to the internationalization of higher education. The current study addresses this negative characterization through a selective qualitative methodology, observing and interviewing 24 Chinese international students at an Australian university. Conducted during the COVID pandemic period, this study offers new insights into how the shift to online learning exacerbated the failure of the teaching, learning, and curriculum models that predominate in Australian universities. We conclude that as the pandemic subsides, deeper conversations are necessary over the continued prevalence of the deficit model while considering international students' agency in their learning practices.