MCCC Faculty Member Kyle Anderson Creates Community of 'Fellow Mathematicians' on YouTube Channel 'BlackTShirtMathProfessor'
More than 200 videos, 700 subscribers and counting
11/29/21
West Windsor, N.J. – For some people, the pandemic shutdown in March 2020 provided the ideal opportunity to dive into projects on their to-do list. Kyle Anderson, a Mathematics professor at Mercer County Community College (MCCC) since 2010, is one such industrious individual.
“I saw this as the time to finally bring my years of teaching to a larger audience,” Anderson recalled. He immediately started recording his Zoom lectures for his three courses: Calculus 1, Calculus 2, and Differential Equations. “I wanted to make the transition to online learning better for my students,” he explained.
By Fall 2020, Anderson was ready to jump to a whole new level by creating high-quality content for his very own YouTube channel. With the help of one of his students, Michael Casey, who is now studying at the University of Maryland, Anderson spent time learning about video equipment, video editing, and building a video editing PC.
“I turned my home office into a studio and invested in all of the equipment to record and edit 4K video,” he said. With original artwork contributed by Mathematics student Johntae Jeffries, Anderson launched his BlackTshirtMathProfessor channel in February 2021.
Fast forward to today, and Anderson’s channel, named by his students for his signature clothing style, boasts 216 videos. The channel counts over 700 “fellow mathematicians” among its subscribers; some of Anderson’s tutorials have more than 2,000 views.
With fresh content added regularly, BlackTshirtMathProfessor features a wide range of college-level content: full course lectures, problem-solving for standard courses, and advanced topics. Thus far, Anderson has posted 55 videos for Calculus 1, 92 for Calculus 2, 45 for Differential Equations, 9 on random math topics, and 15 on “The Art of Integration,” an advanced series he hopes to turn into a book one day. Most videos run between 5 and 20 minutes. Advanced topics are 30 minutes or longer.
“I believe that mathematics at all levels, from basic algebra and the calculus sequence, to higher-level mathematics, is not only interesting, but fun,” Anderson maintains. “Creating these videos has allowed me to share that excitement beyond the classroom. I want them to be a resource for my students.”
Anderson notes that video production can take a few minutes to a few hours, with challenging topics sometimes requiring multiple videos. “The problem-solving videos are simple: I work out the problem and that's it. Advanced videos may involve an introduction outlining topic prerequisites, which in turn may lead to whole videos on prerequisites, with links and references for follow-up,” he explained.
In addition to the planning, recording, editing and uploading that goes into each video, Kyle has had to contend with his three lively dogs, who may disrupt a recording session barking at neighbors, squirrels or other dogs. “I try to minimize background noise and do one continuous take,” he said. “Do you know how hard it is to keep three dogs quiet at the same time? Maybe if I get several hundred thousand subscribers, I can build a proper soundproof recording studio,” he said.
Anderson is not likely to run out of content any time soon. “My long-term goal is to cover problem-solving videos for Mercer’s entire mathematics curriculum, along with advanced topics for students who really like mathematics. This will take me years, but that's okay,” he reflected.
Anderson is motivated to keep the content coming thanks to the enthusiastic response from students. “Being at home and working by myself has been isolating and not always enjoyable, so feedback has actually been really important. Students tell me which videos were particularly helpful, or to keep it coming and not change anything,” he said.
According to Anderson, he even hears from students in other countries, including a group of students from India who were preparing for an exam called the IIT JEE. “They’ve loved all of the videos in my ‘Art of Integration’ series,” he said.
Back to teaching on campus several days a week this semester, Anderson acknowledges that he will have to scale back on the number of new videos he posts. Additionally, having gotten married last year to wife Shannon, he is more conscious of his work-life balance.
And, says Anderson, his true passion lies with connecting to students in person. “I have no intention of being a full-time YouTuber. I enjoy being in the classroom too much, so I'll fit recording in when it's convenient.”
To view Anderson’s video collection, visit https://www.youtube.com/blacktshirtmathprofessor or his website at https://www.blacktshirtmathprofessor.com.
Anderson says math can be interesting and fun. His engaging YouTube videos prove it.
