Teacher effectiveness has been a matter for extensive research and public debate, anchored around the need to capture its essence. While the complexity of teacher effectiveness in higher education has been discussed, it is unclear how this is conceptualised within Asian contexts. Critically unpacking the concept of teacher effectiveness, this systematic literature review acknowledges Hofstede's Four-Dimensional Model of Cultural Differences and draws upon Faranda and Clarke's framework of effective teaching to reveal the characteristics of effective teaching deemed important, the measures used to explore teacher effectiveness, and the factors that contribute to effective teaching in Asian higher education settings. In alignment with broader literature, the review identifies the importance of teachers' delivery and rapport in Asian higher education contexts. The students in these studies, however, viewed effective teaching as encompassing a minimised teacher-student power distance, despite being situated in collectivist contexts which are defined by large power distances.