Overview
You may or may not be able to view or post to a discussion topic for some common reasons:
- Your instructor requires that you first start a new thread in the topic before you can read and reply to other threads by your classmates.
- The dates set for the discussion availability will limit when you can view the discussion and post.
- Your instructor locked a discussion forum or topic to prevent new posts from being created, thus making the conversation "read only."
Here's Why
You Must Post First
When accessing a discussion from the Content Topics, you may see this alert: You must start a thread before you can read and reply to other threads. This means that you cannot see or reply to your classmates' or instructor's posts until you first submit your post.
Note: When your instructor selects this setting for a Discussion, "Must post first" is displayed on the Discussions List page under the name of the topic.
Available Dates to View and Post
When accessing a discussion, the dates of availability for a discussion topic (e.g. Week One - Chapter One Discussion) are listed for access when you may view or post (e.g. Starts Jun 13, 2018 3:00 PM Ends Jun 21, 2018 11:59 PM).
Locked Topics
When accessing a discussion from the Discussions List page, if the Discussion Topic is Locked, no new posts may be created, thus making the conversation "read only."
Note: Discussions might also be unlocked during a specific time range e.g. (Unlocked, Wednesday, June 13, 2018 3:00 PM EDT - Thursday, June 21, 2018 11:59 PM EDT). This will give you the opportunity to post within the displayed time range.