Mission and Values
Our vision at Understand The Math is to make high-quality mathematics education accessible to everyone — building real understanding and confidence, not just procedural fluency.
We believe anyone can truly understand math, and we strive to demonstrate this belief through rigorous, accessible instruction for students, professionals, and lifelong learners.
Meet Cheryl Hile
With over 25 years of experience teaching mathematics at the university level, I’ve dedicated my career to helping students build confidence and truly understand mathematics.
I earned a BS in Mathematics from Penn State and a PhD in Engineering Science and Applied Mathematics from Northwestern University. My background focused heavily on applied mathematics and mathematical modeling, exploring how mathematics is used in science, engineering, and business. That perspective continues to shape the way I teach — emphasizing understanding, intuition, and real problem solving rather than memorization.
Throughout my career at NJIT and Penn State as a professor, academic administrator, and adviser, I repeatedly saw students struggle not because they lacked ability, but because they lacked clear explanations, strong foundations, and accessible resources.
To help address those challenges, I founded Understand The Math — a free educational platform built around clear instruction, step-by-step problem solving, and carefully worked examples.
Today, Understand The Math provides resources in algebra, trigonometry, precalculus, calculus, linear algebra, and differential equations for students, professionals, and lifelong learners around the world.
From my Students
“Dr. Hile is a fantastic teacher who makes all the concepts easy to grasp and learn! The guided notes are very organized and help with understanding the content in a structured way.” - Amber Chen
“Dr. Hile’s instructional method was centered on meticulously crafted guided notes, which provided a structured approach to mastering complex mathematical concepts. Thanks to Dr. Hile's dedication and expertise, what initially seemed daunting became manageable and even enjoyable.” - RJ Shontz
“Dr. Hile’s notes took such a complex topic and broke it down in an easy-to-follow manner. She provided just the right amount of examples, starting simple and progressing with each one. I’m happy that now she has the opportunity to share her knowledge and love of teaching with a wider group of students.” - Maggie McQuillen
"Dr. Hile is one of the most thorough professors I've ever had, walking us through each step of the learning process with a meticulous and kind guiding hand that makes even the strangest concepts feel crystal clear. Her guided notes are a golden standard in my mind, a perfect reference for the future and full of great opportunities to learn right then and there." - Elliott Rose
“Dr. Hile was an incredible teacher and with her guided notes I flourished in her class more than I would have without them.” - Madeleine Niewoehner