Panoptic pedagogy: A Foucauldian debate on micromanagement in nursing education

Nursing education is increasingly caught between demands for standardized accountability and the need for pedagogical autonomy. Drawing on Michel Foucault's concepts of disciplinary power, panopticism, governmentality, and docile bodies, this article critiques the rise of micromanagement practices (e.g., templated syllabi, incessant data audits, and test-driven curricula) that cast faculty as permanent objects of surveillance. Proponents argue that such oversight guarantees quality, reduces liability, and protects accreditation. In contrast, evidence shows it also erodes professional identity, fuels burnout, and suppresses the creative teaching essential to safe, adaptive practice. International comparisons reinforce this paradox. The article balances these findings with a Foucauldian-inspired roadmap for reform. Key recommendations include cultivating care of the self through peer-mentoring and reflective practice; embedding participatory governance to democratize policy-making; training leaders in servant- and transformational‑leadership models; and enacting workload, wellness, and transparency policies that replace fear-based compliance with mutual accountability. By shifting from a panoptic to a collaborative architecture of power, nursing programs can meet regulatory standards while restoring the intellectual vitality and ethical agency of their educators.