The referenced thread has been viewed a few hundred times thus far, but we don’t know whether the original poster read my reply or whether anyone who viewed the thread used any of the information in it.
It might be best if the instructor discontinued the requirement that each student open an account. Instead, after the students have reached a stage of learning later in the course when they are asking good questions, the instructor could inform them about the forum, demonstrate how it can be used effectively by showing them some exemplary discussions, and leave it up to each student whether or not to create and use an account.