Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to explore the association between memory (short- and long-term), a foundational cognition in learning and face-to-face, video-based and flipped instructional modalities. Design/methodology/approach: This study used a one-way analysis of variance and linear regression analyses to compare students' aggregated answers on multiple-choice questions over two different periods, including a repeat question from an earlier examination. Also, student-level answers were subjected to a binary logistic regression. Findings: Face-to-face unambiguously was associated with superior short-term memory including ethics. Video-based performance was associated with a superior long-term memory, and flipped's performance lay in between for both memory types. Research limitations/implications: This study does not account for students' learning styles, instructors' preferred teaching approach and computer-aided virtual simulations. Practical implications: The findings of this study may serve as a reference point for optimally blending multiple instruction modalities to leverage its association with memory for learning matched to instructors' styles, students' curricular pathway and coping with institutional imperatives. Social implications: This paper provides a way for higher education institutions to match instructional modalities to memory needs, including business ethics as students' progress on their pathways towards graduation. Originality/value: This study illuminates the association between memory, a widely accepted foundational cognition in learning that has been under researched compared to critical thinking and reasoning, and three instructional modalities--face-to-face, video-based and flipped classroom.