Several decades of online course experience have led to many positive, and many, not so positive experiences. I would suggest a grouping of positive experiences as instructor engagement and a feeling that they are to assist in achieving/facilitating student success and learning. The not-so-positive experiences are related more to a feeling that instructors were simply putting in their time.
Respectful and interested engagement with learners seems to be a pretty darn effective practice. This can cross various boundaries such as cultures, genders, ages, or otherwise. Generally, what I have tried to engage in to improve my experiences is to engage in respectful feedback processes. Pointing out where I feel shortfalls have been in course design, facilitation, engagement, or evaluation.