No password required. Professors have write access to provide an answer. Students can read all questions and answers as they are posted. It is a good idea to alert professors by e-mail that a question has been posted for them. A password is required for access.
Instructions are accessible on line from the Chat site.
You can join a chat there, or create a separate room. Any room you create will last as long as it is occupied. It disappears when the last participant leaves. No password required. A newsgroup is a threaded discussion site, in which topics of interest can be discussed by all subscribers.