This study investigates the pedagogy and transmission of Mongolian Long Song (Urtiin Duu) in higher education, focusing on three universities in the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region of China. Although inscribed on UNESCO’s Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, Urtiin Duu faces challenges from globalization, urbanization, and the erosion of nomadic lifeways. Using cultural sustainability and constructivist learning as guiding theories, the research adopts a comparative case study approach. The CIPP evaluation model is applied to analyze institutional and contextual conditions, while the 4C/ID instructional design model is used to examine classroom practices. Data were collected through in-depth interviews, classroom observation, teacher documentation, course material analysis, and student artifacts, and analyzed using open, axial, and selective coding. Findings reveal that current teaching practices often prioritize technical reproduction over cultural meaning, creating disjunctions in student learning. However, culturally responsive workshops, peer collaboration, and tasks integrating ecological metaphors foster stronger cultural awareness and identity construction. The study concludes that sustainable transmission of Urtiin Duu in academia requires student centered pedagogy that balances technical mastery with cultural understanding, contributing to broader debates on safeguarding intangible cultural heritage and advancing ethnic arts pedagogy in higher education.
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