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Current considerations on the design of effective teaching in higher education frequently revolve around the choice of a suitable format, i.e., how and to what extent teaching should (also) continue to take place in the digital realm. This paper is based on a systematic literature review of N = 44 meta-analyses (publication period 2011--2022) on the learning-related effectiveness of the teaching formats online teaching, blended learning (including flipped classroom) in comparison with traditional face-to-face teaching. The results provide an evidence-based foundation for recommendations on the use of the formats in higher education teaching. Predominantly small positive effects of the teaching formats on cognitive learning outcomes, practical skills, and student assessments are found. Rarely, medium effects are reported, with blended learning formats showing a slight advantage over online and traditional face-to-face teaching. The magnitude of effect sizes also depends on the inclusion criteria of the meta-analyses. Furthermore, the moderator analyses indicate that additional variance is explained in particular by design features that can be modified by teachers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]