What is the HTML Instructure Class Inline Media Comment?

[CSHoagland]

I am working with a professor who has many pieces of media (audio and video files) embedded into her course using a unique method I've never seen before. These files are used in pages and quiz questions alike. The HTML for the content is something like:

<a id="media_comment_abcd" class="instructure_inline_media_comment audio_comment" href="/media_objects/abcd">this is a media comment</a>

These audio and video files don't show up in the file view of Canvas and there is no way to follow back the code to find an original file that is being linked to. They have also, most importantly, stopped working for students, though I can still access them with an admin view. I've figured out how to extract the media so that it be properly embedded (fun fact: just change the word "audio" above to "video" and it will produce a small download button that you can use to get the file). However, I'm still at a loss for:

1. how she made these in the first place, and
2. why they stopped working after years of not causing her any trouble.

Does anyone have any insight into these? I've tried searching for similar HTML code elsewhere and talking to our IT folks to no avail. 

[JeffCampbell]

Can you find the video files IN the Files menu? I'm curious if they did not transfer but the links did. I'm also wondering if they were static links back to another source that is not longer active or available.