If you do not see "Add a New Discussion Topic" when you go to post to a forum, this is a good indication that it is a Q&A Forum. Here are the steps on how to post in a Q&A Forum
Purpose
The purpose of this article is to demonstrate how to interact with a Q & A forum
Note
A Q&A forum requires an initial reply to the instructor's post before viewing peer posts. There is no Add a New Discussion Topic button
The teacher posts a question, and students respond with possible answers. By default, a Q&A forum requires students to post once before viewing other students' posts.
The maximum editing time for forum posts is 30 minutes, and this time must be completed before students can see the other posts.
If you don't see the instructor's first post and don't have the "Add a New Discussion Topic" button, reach out to your instructor for further directions.
Procedures
Click on the forum activity on the course page
Click the instructor's post
Click Reply in the bottom right corner of the instructor post
Type your message in the text field
Click the Post to Forum button
Your post will remain hidden for 30 minutes. During that time, you may edit your post by clicking the Edit button and then clicking the Post to forum button when you are finished
Tip:
For forums, compose your post in a Word document, then copy and paste your work into the forum using the steps above. This reduces the risk of losing your work if you experience an internet interruption or if Moodle times out unexpectedly.