Class management in distance learning and how to engage students in distance learning

One of the main challenges is classroom management in distance learning, being student engagement one of the main challenges (Chiu et al., 2021). Students' engagement with their learning, study, and assignments is of great importance, as it is one of the key aspects of academic performance.

To make this classroom management as effective as possible, as welconcerningnt's engagement in learning as optimal as possible, one must start by adjusting the learning criteria and the objectives that both students and teachers are expected to achieve in online learning (Masoumi & Lindström, 2012).

These objectives must be related to the official curriculum/syllabus that students must follow, in such a way that they can be presented, disseminated, and shared as a guide in decision-making for both teachers and students. It is always easier to achieve what we set out to do when we are clear about the steps we have to take to do so, and this makes us commit ourselves to what we want to achieve, and this is essential in e-learning.

To do this, teachers need to know the standards and learning objectives for their subject and make informed decisions about learning expectations and assessments to share with students.

A practical way for teachers to analyze these standards that the law proposes through reading by analyzing key nouns and verbs is to check the depth of these objectives and to transfer them to students.

In addition, to sharing and selecting the objectives to be achieved. Another premise is an organization, creating a flowchart or a timetable of lessons where it is clear: what concepts or skills come first, what comes next, what we have achieved, what we have set out to achieve, promoting spaced practice between the content at a distance. In addition, setting small quizzes to make students feel obliged to recall knowledge is key to engaging students in their learning in an online environment (Dirkx et al., 2019).

When this priority has already been established in the learning objectives, as well as having seen which tasks will come before which tasks will come after, and at what times the spaced practice will be carried out. Another aspect of learner engagement is the tasks.

The choice of tasks in relation to the point of learning at which they are at is fundamental to ensuring student engagement in their learning. That is why, in a synchronous environment, involving them in the class through live monitoring tools is essential for student engagement and the smooth running of the class (Herrinton et al., 2003).

In addition, one of the problems we face is that when we design an assignment, we do not know what is happening on the other side of the screen, as many students either do not connect their cameras because they do not have the means or because they do not want to. Some tips on how to try to engage with assignments in a distance learning environment in a synchronous way are the following:

• Establish times in the assignment where (usually at the end) the students have to present the work they have done.

• Use live tools (e.g., shared documents) where the teacher can check what the students are doing after what they have been asked to do on the other side of the screen.

• Generate spaces for debate, either in other video conference sessions or in the chat.

• Create high points in the task, where all the students have to go through that point in order to complete it.