A customizable interactive educational system 30 includes an assembly of data modules 60 which control the inputting, categorizing, and formatting of educational data which have been determined to be well-accepted principles. The well-accepted principles create a primary knowledge base stored as a professor customizable interactive textbook (CITbook) 40. The primary knowledge base is organized by at least subject matter, topic, and knowledge level and the data are linked to each other in predetermined sequences. Data managers 200 allow a professor teaching a course to select and manipulate portions of the primary knowledge base of the professor CITbook 40 to generate a customized student version 50 in accordance with the course being taught and personal data added by the professor. The data added or altered by the professor is visually distinguished from the well-accepted data. Maps are generated which include link sequences connecting the selected subjects and topics in a primary sequence based on the course being taught. Secondary links are generated interconnecting the selected subjects and topics in multiple directions allowing the student to access reference data by selecting one of the secondary links. A presentation manager 250 executes the primary sequence and presents the selected subjects and topics contained in the primary sequence to the student. The secondary links allow the student to dynamically change the primary sequence thereby accessing background or advanced topics.