Blackboard Academic Suite support for Internet Explorer 7:

Symptoms:

Short answer: Internet Explorer 7 has to "trust" the Blackboard site or the text box features do not work.  Also, the "Visual Text Box Editor" options can be configured to a lower level of features and the box will work (without formatting features)

Longer answer:  Blackboard Quality Assurance has tested Internet Explorer 7 and rated it as compatible with the Blackboard Academic Suite.
With Release 6, Application Pack 3 (what Longwood has) and Release 7 of the Blackboard Academic Suite, end users must add the Blackboard Academic Suite server to their list of trusted sites in Internet Explorer 7. If the Blackboard Academic Suite is not in the list of trusted sites, the Visual Text Box Editor will not function correctly. The formatting and content controls will appear, but the text box itself will appear broken.
This issue does not impact Application Pack 1 for Release 7 and later releases. Users running Application Pack 1 for Release 7 will not experience any problems with the Visual Text Box Editor related to Internet Explorer 7.

Easier Fix:

Log in to Blackboard.  On the left side of the "My Classes" tab, you will see a "Tools" box with a link called "Personal Information".  Click on that link.  From the next set of options, select "Set Visual Text Box Editor Options".  Change the availability setting to "Unavailable".

Resolution Longer Answer for Internet Explorer version 7:

1. Follow these steps to add the Blackboard Academic Suite server to the list of trusted sites.
2. Login to the Blackboard Academic Suite and navigate to a page that uses the Visual Text Box Editor.
3. Determine if the Blackboard Academic Suite server is in the list of Trusted Sites. When accessing the Academic Suite, a green check mark will appear in the Status Bar with the label, Trusted Sites. If Restricted Sites (a red circle icon) or Internet (a globe icon) appears instead, the Blackboard Academic Suite server must be added to the list of Trusted Sites.
4. Double-click the Status Bar where the Restricted Sites or the Internet icon appears. The Internet Security Properties box will open.
5. Click on the Trusted Sites icon under the Select a zone to view or change security settings heading. Click Sites to open the Trusted Sites box.
6. The URL for the Blackboard Academic Suite server should appear in the Add this website to the zone field. If not, enter the URL that is used to access the Blackboard Academic Suite in the field: https://blackboard.longwood.edu
7. If the URL for the Blackboard Academic Suite does not use SSL security, uncheck the Require Server Verification (https:) for all sites in this zone option. If the URL for the Blackboard Academic Suite uses SSL security the URL will begin with https:// If the URL does not use SSL security the URL will begin with http:// (Longwood's site does utilize SSL, so leave the Require Server Verification box checked)
8. Click Add.
9. Click Close.
10. Click OK on the Internet Security Properties box.
11. Refresh the page. A message will appear in the Internet Explorer Information Bar: "This website wants to run the following add-on: 'Microsoft (R) Dynamic HTML Editing Control' from 'Microsoft Corporation'. If you trust the website and the add-on and want to allow it to run, click here..."
12. Click the message and select Run ActiveX Control from the context menu.
13. Click Run in the Security Warning box.
    The Visual Text Box Editor is now configured to operate correctly within this browser.

From Blackboard Knowledgebase Article # Topic ID: 181-2786