Most definitely, I too have witnessed a paradigm shift in the classes I teach online to a majority of non-traditional adult students. All of my classes utilize eBooks and I have found less complaints about using them. I am also finding younger students taking my classes where I need to start to go more into detail and provide more stories to students who have little to no work experience.
I started teaching online back in 2002 and things are definitely different than then in respects to students could only see my presentation in 2002, all sections of the course have the same assignments 2003 (35 students per class, there can be anywhere from 1 to over 100 sections depending on the course), recordings of my classes 2003, see my presentation and hear me in 2003, share my screen in 2004, being able to integrate videos in 2005, using polling and whiteboard in 2008, and use more advanced presentation software for visual interest - Prezi in 2010. I find students now are viewing my presentations on tablets and phones more than before with the advance in technology.
Students cannot be lazy at the university I teach for online because they have a discussion board and individual project due each week. If handed in late then points are deducted. The classes are also accelerated (5.5 week classes) so at times it can be difficult to catch up if you get too far behind but this depends on the determination of the student. If they fail the course, they retake it either the next offering or so.
If they don't listen to the class chats twice a week then they cannot fully complete the assignments unless they already have Human Resource experience in analysis of job design and recruiting. I don't mind having students call me directly if they need some one-on-one or IM. I find it much easier to direct students to reputable sources and provide all sorts of stories from my experience and interesting information I have read. I also always try to include current events into the class as well to peek interest and get students to discuss outside of an assignment freely.
