Some forms of knowledge can be very difficult or impossible to derive from small isolated projects by individual researchers, but require collaboration at scale and the building of infrastructure that can support activity. The creation of standards (such as types of [[Educational modelling language|educational modelling languages]]) are forms of conceptual research infrastructure that blend into practice. Educational technology research sits in an awkward space. On one hand, the technologies should be designed for the specific needs of the population given the contextual nature of education. But on the other hand, the cost of development leads to a craving for scale and generalisability in dissemination.