<p>I am not at all familiar with the distance education program, and I am not aware of any regular posters here who have mentioned that they are participating in DEN.</p>
<p>If the registration works in the same way as for on-campus students, you lurk trying to grab a spot when others drop, and sometimes courses will have a waitlist. With classes on-campus, the spots tend to go to those who keep at it, so yes, emailing the professor would be a good idea. Good luck.</p>